Iowa

Lawyer: Black Iowa football players at risk under Ferentz

Published

2 years ago

March 7, 2023

Lawyer: Black Iowa football players at risk under Ferentz

The lawyer representing a dozen former Iowa soccer gamers who settled their racial discrimination lawsuit with the college’s athletic division for over $4 million — half of which is coming from taxpayer funds — stated Tuesday that Black Hawkeyes gamers will proceed to be vulnerable to harassment “so long as Kirk Ferentz is in cost.”

Legal professional Damario Solomon-Simmons stated in a information launch his purchasers have been vindicated and he’s happy with the state Enchantment Board approving the $4.175 million settlement.

The board voted 2-1 on Monday in favor of contributing $2 million in taxpayer funds. Board member and State Auditor Rob Sand voted down the proposal, saying the college’s athletic division has the funds to cowl the settlement.

“The printed deal brings tens of tens of millions of {dollars} yearly going ahead,” Sand stated. “I don’t know why they will’t cowl their very own errors and pay for their very own errors as a substitute of getting taxpayers do it.”

Coach Ferentz stated Monday he was “tremendously disillusioned” in how the matter was resolved. He stated he and others named within the lawsuit believed “the case would have been dismissed with prejudice earlier than trial” if it hadn’t been settled and “there is no such thing as a admission of any wrongdoing.”

Solomon-Simmons stated he was disillusioned to see Ferentz proceed to “declare that he and his coaches did nothing mistaken.”

A report commissioned and paid for by the athletic division “confirmed the racially hostile setting in his Hawkeye Soccer Program,” Solomon-Simmons stated.

The lawsuit filed in November 2020 concerned former gamers together with former star working again Akrum Wadley and profession receptions chief Kevonte Martin-Manley. They alleged they have been demeaned with racial slurs, pressured to desert Black hairstyles, style and tradition to suit the “Iowa Means” promoted by Ferentz, and retaliated in opposition to for talking out.

The gamers initially sought $20 million in damages plus the firings of athletic director Gary Barta, Ferentz and his son and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

Sand agreed that Gary Barta needs to be fired.

“I can’t think about a non-public firm that might nonetheless have somebody on the helm after 4 discrimination lawsuits underneath that particular person’s management,” he stated at his information convention Monday.

Barta has been Iowa’s athletic director since 2006. In a press release to the Enchantment Board, Sand famous 4 discrimination circumstances totaling almost $7 million in damages underneath Barta’s watch. The biggest of these was $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit in 2017 over the firing of former subject hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum. The cash used to pay that settlement got here from the athletic division, which doesn’t depend on taxpayer funding.

In response to a request for remark from Barta, the athletic division despatched a press release Monday attributed to him, saying the division “stays dedicated to offering an inclusive and welcoming setting for each student-athlete and employees member concerned in our program.”

“The Hawkeyes over-arching aim to win each time we compete, graduate each student-athlete that involves Iowa, and to do it proper, stays our focus,” the assertion reads.

State treasurer Roby Smith and Division of Administration director Kraig Paulsen are the opposite two Enchantment Board members.

Paulsen, earlier than voting sure, stated it’s less than the board to play a job in Barta’s employment standing.

“We’re right here to decide as to what’s in one of the best curiosity of (Iowa) and it appears to me, upon the advice of the Legal professional Normal, that is the smart determination to make,” Paulsen stated, in line with Des Moines tv station KCCI.

Barta, Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz and former energy coach Chris Doyle have been dismissed from the lawsuit final week, which signaled {that a} proposed settlement was imminent.

Doyle agreed to go away Iowa 5 months earlier than the lawsuit was filed after widespread accusations that the longtime energy coach used his place to bully and disparage former gamers, significantly those that are Black. Iowa agreed to pay Doyle $1.1 million in a resignation settlement.

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Iowa

Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings

Published

30 mins ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings

It was an important date around the state for volleyball teams in Iowa, as the latest rankings were released and regional pairings in all five classes were revealed.

The two come into play once regionals reach the championship round, as the higher-ranked team will serve as the host for those games.

All five No. 1 squads remained the same, as Ankeny Centennial (Class 5A), Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A), Mount Vernon (3A), Denver (2A) and Ankeny Christian (1A) held serve.

New teams to the Top-15 include Iowa City West in 5A, Ballard in 4A, Wapsie Valley in 2A and Stanton in 1A. The entire 3A poll remained the same while Sidney made one of the biggest climbs, moving to ninth from 12th in 1A.

Regional play for 1A and 2A begins Oct. 21 with 3A, 4A and 5A starting Oct. 22. The state tournament is scheduled for Nov. 4-7 in Coralville from the Xtream Arena. Complete regional pairings can be found on Bound.

Class 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial; 2. Pleasant Valley; 3. Ankeny; 4. West Des Moines Dowling; 5. Indianola; 6. Waukee Northwest; 7. Cedar Falls; 8. Cedar Rapids Prairie; 9. Waukee; 10. Iowa City Liberty; 11. West Des Moines Valley; 12. Sioux City East; 13. Iowa City West; 14. Iowa City High; 15. Linn-Mar.

Class 4A

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier; 2. Sioux City Bishop Heelan; 3. North Scott; 4. Clear Creek-Amana; 5. Lewis Central; 6. Pella; 7. Glenwood; 8. Carlisle; 9. Marion; 10. Adel-ADM; 11. Norwalk; 12. Sergeant Bluff-Luton; 13. MOC-Floyd Valley; 14. Ballard; 15. Grinnell.

Class 3A

1. Mount Vernon; 2. Western Christian; 3. West Delaware; 4. Dubuque Wahlert; 5. Davenport Assumption; 6. Sioux Center; 7. Carroll Kuemper; 8. Mid-Prairie; 9. Cherokee; 10. Wilton; 11. Solon; 12. Anamosa; 13. Roland-Story; 14. Clarinda; 15. Nevada.

Class 2A

1. Denver; 2. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont; 3. Dyersville Beckman; 4. Dike-New Hartford; 5. Aplington-Parkersburg; 6. South Hardin; 7. Boyden-Hull; 8. Pella Christian; 9. Iowa City Regina; 10. Hinton; 11. Grundy Center; 12. Sumner-Fredericksburg; 13. Wapsie Valley; 14. West Burlington; 15. Shenandoah.

Class 1A

1. Ankeny Christian; 2. Holy Trinity; 3. Saint Ansgar; 4. Riverside; 5. BCLUW; 6. Janesville; 7. North Tama; 8. Don Bosco; 9. Sidney; 10. River Valley; 11. Akron-Westfield; 12. Stanton; 13. Fremont-Mills; 14. Southwest Valley; 15. Gladbrook-Reinbeck.

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Iowa

Iowa high school football computer rankings (10/10/2024)

Published

8 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Iowa high school football computer rankings (10/10/2024)

Week 6 of the 2024 Iowa high school football season has wrapped up, and High School on SI is continuing its weekly computer rankings for the season.

The Dowling Maroons kept their top five placing in this week’s 5A Iowa computer rankings after a thrilling 41-35 victory over Ankeny Centennial. They face a strong Urbandale team on Friday, to keep their momentum going.

The top of the 5A computer rankings stay the same this week as the Bettendorf Bulldogs take home another win, this time defeating Kennedy 33-14. The Bulldogs look forward to Friday, where they will travel to Davenport Central in hopes to hold their place in the standings.

SBLive’s formula was created using its linear algebra-based ranking algorithm inspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.

FAQ: SBLive High School Football Computer Rankings

Here are SBLive’s latest Iowa football computer rankings, as of Oct. 7, 2024:

IOWA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COMPUTER RANKINGS

CLASS 5A | CLASS 4A

CLASS 3A | CLASS 2A

CLASS 1A | CLASS A

CLASS 8 MAN

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To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports

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Iowa

Grinnell window manufacturer announces plans to lay off 152 workers in November

Published

15 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Press Room

Grinnell window manufacturer announces plans to lay off 152 workers in November

JELD-WEN, a manufacturer of windows and doors in Grinnell, has announced it will be laying off 152 workers effective Nov. 7.

The announcement was made on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) site.

The company, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was founded in 1960 and has 18,000 employees, with operating facilities in 16 countries in North America and Europe with 2023 sales of $4.3 billion, according to the company’s website.

JELD-WEN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, JELD-WEN announced the closing of its Hawkins, Wisconsin facility, affecting 338 employees, and in Vista, California, resulting in the loss of 110 jobs.

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