An independent investigation of the Illinois women’s basketball program initiated by the school found no evidence of the racism and abusive behavior alleged by former players.
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The scandal erupted in May when the families of three players sent letters to the university expressing their concerns over the way Divilbiss and head coach Matt Bollant were treating certain members of the team.
The University of Illinois is No. 1 in the new party school rankings, and administrators aren’t happy about it. An Illinois spokesman says the ranking paints the university’s students in a false light.
The report has no impact on the lawsuit the school is facing, but the athletic department will make a few changes based on the results of the inquiry. They sought $10 million in damages.
Divilbiss left the university in May under what the school has called mutual agreement and has not commented.
A few current players and their parents have disputed the allegations.
The law firm of Pugh, Jones & Johnson, conducted 33 interviews, reviewed more than 18,000 documents and looked at game and practice footage in its probe of the allegations, the school said in a statement.
The report said that the extra practices “were not punitive” and designed for players who saw less than 20 minutes of action in the previous game. Terms like “crabs” that a few players believed were derogatory toward blacks were taken by coaches from outside motivational material.
The report released a timeline for “key events surrounding the allegations”, beginning in April 2013 with Bollant and Divilbiss identifying players whom they deemed not athletic enough for the Big Ten.
Thomas said background checks turned up no problems when Divilbiss was hired and Bollant had “a comfort level” in having Divilbiss on his staff.
The university initiated the investigation after a few former players and their parents made specific allegations. Two other former players later said Beckman had mistreated them.
Wise said Illinois has been given no timetable for the release of findings into a separate investigation into the football team, which is being handled by the Chicago law firm Franczek Radelet.
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The combined accusations have led to widespread criticism of the university.
