Julie Hermann's Reports of Coaching Abuse Harm Her Tenure as Rutgers AD

Newly hired Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann is already behind the eight-ball in her tenure with the Scarlet Knights after reportedly abusing players as a women's volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee.

Craig Wolff of The Star-Ledger initially broke news of the former Lady Vols' testimony, which came in the form of a letter. Wolff logged some of the sentiment and various excerpts form the letter:

"

The mental cruelty that we as a team have suffered is unbearable...Specifically, they said the coach had called them "whores, alcoholics and learning disabled."

It has been unanimously decided that this is an irreconcilable issue.

"

Hermann coached that squad 16 years ago, but the fact that all 15 players and the Tennessee athletic director endorsed this scathing indictment of a letter suggests that it isn't some sort of plotted, libelous conspiracy.

All the players remained anonymous until Abbey Watkins confirmed the abuse in an email to ESPN.com, as reported by Andy Katz, most notably stating the following:

"

All of the things that were written are unfortunately true. Many of these things happened to me personally. I truly hope that Julie has changed but refuse for anyone to deny the fact that our dreams had been crushed and our hearts broken.

"

Even with the compelling evidence on the record, conflicting accounts from Hermann and one of her assistants paint a far different picture. Per Katz, former Lady Vols assistant coach Kim Tibbetts never witnessed any of the psyche-shattering behavior Hermann is being accused of:

"

I was by Julie's side in every meeting and every practice, and she never did what they're saying. What they are saying is not true. She was the most supportive coach. She loved those kids. What I'm hearing and seeing now is just shocking.

"

Whether the allegations are true or not will perhaps never be known, and Hermann has publicly denied them. Her job is safe, though, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy:

Regardless, it is a rocky start for her in Piscataway after serving as an assistant to AD Tom Jurich at the University of Louisville since her apparently harsh exit from Tennessee.

This is especially true in light of the video footage of former Rutgers men's basketball coach Mike Rice, who was fired for his own brutal, authoritarian tactics that included physically attacking his own players in practice.

Hermann has stated that she was an extremely intense head coach, and that may be enough to clear her name. In the court of public opinion, though, it will be difficult for her to overcome such a massive blow to her reputation.

The other bizarre aspect that Wolff reported was the lawsuit filed against the school by one of Hermann's other assistants in Knoxville, Ginger Hineline, who was discouraged by Hermann from getting pregnant back in 1997. Hineline won $150,000 from the university in the case.

It's definitely feasible that the 49-year-old Hermann has turned over a new leaf in the decade-and-a-half or so since her alleged mistreatment of players. However, Rutgers president Robert Barchi is weathering yet another storm of bad publicity for the university's athletics department.

As contradicting as the reports of abuse are involving Hermann, the message Barchi and Co. are sending is arguably just as polarizing.

Hermann is replacing Tim Pernetti, who saw the videos of Rice's ruthless style in practice in November of 2012, but did not act on them. As Steve Politi of The Star Ledger points out, Pernetti's fumbling in that situation cost him his job.

That one misstep by Pernetti may highlight a problem of overall accountability, but it also places the alleged misconduct Hermann engaged in under more scrutiny.

Now it's on Hermann to prove herself, and any mistake she makes from her start on June 17 onward will be magnified.