Colorado announced it is requiring head coach Mike MacIntyre to give $100,000 to domestic violence awareness and giving him a letter of reprimand for failing to report allegations against one of his coaches. (MacIntyre’s new contract will pay him $3.25 million per year.) Athletic director Rick George faces the same punishments, and chancellor Phil DiStefano is being suspended for 10 days.
Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre punished for handling of domestic violence allegation
CU promoted an assistant whose girlfriend had told the coach days before about violent behavior.
Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Days after MacIntyre learned of the allegations against former defensive assistant Joe Tumpkin from Tumpkin’s ex-girlfriend, Tumpkin was promoted to defensive coordinator, a role he served during CU’s bowl game. CU later suspended him, then asked him to resign amid a restraining order and impending criminal charges.
Here’s more via a lengthy and detailed story at SI, with which a university spokesman was communicating while learning CU knew more about the allegation than it’d implied in official statements:
That evening, more clarification from Plati: “In mid-December, Joe Tumpkin’s ex-girlfriend notified Coach MacIntyre of an allegation of physical assault. MacIntyre immediately informed Rick George, who then engaged Chancellor Phil DiStefano. They (the Chancellor and Rick) determined that no action could be taken at that time because there was no restraining order, criminal charges, civil action or other documentation of the allegation.”
Documentation, however, did exist well before Colorado officials publicly acknowledged the accusations. Boulder County judge John Stavely signed a restraining order on Dec. 20, 2016—eleven days after Jane’s first call to MacIntyre, seven days after Tumpkin’s defense attorney called Jane and told her that he’d been in contact with CU Athletics, and five days after Jane notified MacIntyre that she was headed to Colorado to obtain the restraining order.
After Tumpkin’s exit, MacIntyre had said in a statement:
Upon hearing the allegations by Joe Tumpkin’s girlfriend, my initial reaction and foremost concern was for her safety. I reiterated that to her several times and confirmed that she was in fact, safe.
In the same conversation, I was clear in communicating to her my obligation as a university employee to notify my superior, which is exactly what I did. I can say I did everything necessary to ensure this individual’s statements were relayed immediately.
I would like to clarify the following reported statements:
There were two separate conversations. The first was her report to me of the abuse. In the second conversation, I communicated to her that I reported it.
Tumpkin was made the play caller for the bowl game because, at the time of the decision, there was no police report or legal complaint. This decision was approved by my superiors.
Tumpkin’s promotion came on Dec. 16, days before the temporary restraining order.
The investigation concluded three “failures” by the university, according to former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, a partner in one of two law firms that created a report on the incident:
a failure to report domestic violence allegations;
a failure to report the information to law enforcement officials; and
a failure of supervision of coach Tumpkin.
Salazar said there was no “bad intent” on the part of DiStefano, George or MacIntyre, but rather “mistakes” were made.
“We didn’t handle this matter as well as we should have,” CU president Bruce Benson said. “CU does not and will not tolerate domestic violence or any sort of sexual misconduct.”
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