Julie Hermann, the recently hired athletic director at Rutgers
University, has publicly announced she's gay.
The last sentence of Hermann's bio on Rutgers' website reads:
“Hermann and her partner Dr. Leslie Danehy are the proud parents of
a seven-year-old son, Aidan.”
Hermann
told ESPN that she is “really blessed to have a wonderful
family and we're excited to become part of the Rutgers community.”
Hermann was hired on May 15 to replace Rutgers athletic director
Tim Pernetti.
Pernetti was forced to resign in April over the way in which he
handled abuse allegations against Rutgers men's basketball coach Mike
Rice. Rice was fired after ESPN aired footage of him hurling
anti-gay slurs at players during a practice session.
In
a 30-minute video, Rice is seen shoving players, throwing
basketballs at students and screaming, “You fucking fairy ….
You're a fucking faggot.”
Pernetti reportedly saw the footage last year and suspended Rice
for three games and fined him $50,000.
The incident also led to the resignations of assistant coach
Jimmy Martelli and interim senior vice president and university
counsel John Wolf.
Hermann's hiring attracted media attention due to the
controversy.