Trouble is brewing for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights just when they thought the New Year brought immense joy. Starting the season with an emphatic 8-1 overall record, Maya Jones and her team were on high. They even managed to get the better of big-name opponents like Towson, Southern Utah, and Wilberforce. With such a high-flying start, things looked quite rosy for the Knights. That is until they placed their head coach on paid administrative leave!

Umme Salim-Beasley has found herself under significant heat recently. Things started way back in September 2024 when Salim-Beasley was bombarded with allegations related to misconduct and “claims of bullying and disregard for the athletes’ physical and mental health.” Launching an immediate investigation, the Rutgers front office launched a full-fledged investigation. Initially, the allegations were made public by ‘The Daily Targum’s report. 

While Rutgers hired Lowenstein Sandler’s Law Firm for the investigation, NJ Advance Media also took on an independent investigation. Rutgers spent quite a lot of money to uncover the truth. President Jonathan Holloway commissioned the four-month investigation. And it cost the university a whopping $705,000. 

Salim-Beasley was found guilty in several cases, with shocking allegations coming in from the gymnasts. While she was found to be in an undisputed relationship with former athletic director Pat Hobbs, the Knight’s HC also had an alleged disregard for the mental and physical health of the gymnasts. More and more accounts of gymnasts came in stating how they were forced to perform despite injuries. And if that was not enough, the final nail in the coffin stated that Salim-Beasley allowed children inside the gymnastics while athletes were in their full flow! And the parents were fuming at this incident. They wanted Rutgers to outright fire her.

Speaking to NJ Advance Media, a parent doubled down on their demand, saying, “She should be fired.” The parent further went on to say that such behavior seemed inappropriate and unacceptable. “Rutgers needs to make the statement: We are not going to accept this. This is inexcusable behavior, and she should know better,” the parent stated. 

Shocked by how long Salim-Beasley has been let off the hook for her actions, her parents think it is now time for her to get her due. “She’s an adult. She’s a coach. And she’s been coaching for a long time. Clearly, she’s gotten away with it for as long as she has. I think she absolutely needs to be fired.” Now, with things going wrong, the upcoming season for the Knights looks nothing short of a nightmare.

Rutgers gymnastics in deep waters following Head Coach fiasco

Back on January 19, 2025, a Reddit account shared that three children often attended Rutgers’ gymnastics sessions on Wednesdays. The parents were freaked out about the chances of a toddler getting injured. And they were also furious. Surely, the idea of toddlers inside a fully functional gym is scary. A fatal accident can be caused by the simplest of slip-ups. Several gymnasts have pointed out how they had to stop with their practice to prevent the children from getting injured. And the problem does not end there.

Their upcoming campaign also looks to be in jeopardy. Rutgers’ gymnastics would want to forget everything about their previous season. Holding a 12-15 record in 2024, things were as bad as it can get. Moreover, they also ended their conference run with an embarrassing 0-9 record. With the addition of the chaos registering from their head coach’s actions, things looked quite bleak for the team. 

Thankfully, the team seemed to have shrugged off the negativities as they stepped into the New Year. But going forward without a head coach might be a huge problem. Rutgers kicked off their Big Ten Championship run this Saturday. With things looking gloomy, the onus will be on assistant HC Anastasia Candia to step up. And she is more than capable of her duties. Back in 2023, it was Anastasia who led the program to their maiden 196+ score with a record of 196.875. Thus, with the dark clouds hovering, it remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.