If you’re looking for some easy money, be a search firm.
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The College of Minnesota paid an Atlanta-based search agency greater than $100,000 to seek out Norwood Teague, the athletic director employed in 2012 who resigned this month amid sexual harassment allegations.
Minnesota hired Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search for $90,000 in February 2012, roughly two weeks after longtime AD Joel Maturi announced his resignation.
The only finalist within the search was Teague, who had been athletic director at Virginia Commonwealth College for six years and was credited with being a talented fundraiser and hanging onto a sought-after basketball coach.
University lawyers said had Parker Executive Search found any illegal or inappropriate behavior in Teague’s past, Teague simply would not have received the job.
U of M officials said that the firm’s background check including asking candidates “to disclose in writing any potential issues of controversy or concern that the University of Minnesota should be aware of”, the Star Tribune reported.
The University of Minnesota released a statement late this afternoon saying Teague did not disclose any area of controversy or concern in his signed statement.
Attempts to contact Teague for comment have gone unanswered.
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“Neither members of the search committee nor anyone else at the University were alerted to any complaint against Virginia Commonwealth University through this disclosure, and the University does not know whether there was any complaint against VCU at the time of the search”, the U said. That complaint was later settled by VCU for $125,000.
