Rutgers University gymnastics head coach led the Scarlet Knights to new heights in 2023. The team won the tri-meet against UPenn on the back of exceptional performances from the likes of star gymnasts like Emily Leese. However, several complaints about the coach surfaced in 2024 before the athletic director suddenly left on August 16.

Since his departure, several other gymnasts have come forward with disturbing complaints about the coach. Now seven former and one active Scarlet Knights member have brought fresh allegations against the head coach in interviews with NJ Advanced Media. One of the many reasons they cited was the false promise made by the coach during recruitment.

“What she promised when (recruiting us to) come on this team was, even if you don’t compete, you all matter equally. And that’s just not true.” revealed one athlete who wished to remain anonymous. Instead, Rutgers sported a bloated roster where non-competing gymnasts had to cheer for their teammates or face the consequences. This included dismissal from the team.

According to the athletes, the coach disregarded that the thirty-four-athlete roster may be too large. Usually, only five to six athletes compete on the floor with alternates on stand-by. So students alleged that maintaining such a bloated roaster only seems impressive on paper. According to the Rutgers students, the reality was a divided locker room where no one felt equal.

The results of such mismanagement also spoke for themselves. The Rutgers gymnastics team hit a new high, beating UPenn and West Virginia with a program score of 196.875. However, in the grand scheme of things, they fell well behind the other Big Ten universities, losing out to 22nd-ranked Penn State. The gymnasts also alleged that talking to the former athletic director didn’t help.

The athletes told the New Jersey media house that the athletic director dismissed complaints against the gymnastics head coach. While the former Rutgers athletic director cited health issues as the reason for his sudden departure, many found the timing questionable. Other Scarlet Knights came forward with even more serious allegations in May, when the director was part of the staff.

Three former Rutgers gymnasts came forward on social media

Besides roster mismanagement, the unnamed gymnasts also accused the head coach of causing mental distress and even going as far as taking revenge on those who slighted her. While these claims sound sensational, three gymnasts made similar claims two months ago. “I was going to be a senior on the team but coach cut me because I called her petty on my private story… She proved my point!” former Scarlet Kight Isabella Hughes posted on X.

Emily Wood joined in, saying she faced a one-week suspension for expressing concern about her mental health. “I had just ended my gymnastics career due to an injury,” she added. Brayden Battavio also added her experience to the discussion. “I was told I was being cut because of the decision the doctors made to redshirt because of FRACTURES IN MY BACK! Never had a warning..” she wrote. All three former Rutgers athletes faced these ordeals on the cusp of becoming seniors.

To say that such allegations are serious would be an understatement. If proven, they would show that besides mismanagement, the coach didn’t shy away from targeting specific individuals. However, after leaving his post, the athletics director said that Rutgers University Office of Ethics and Compliance has investigated such allegations and found them unsubstantial.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time gymnasts have alleged mistreatment by a university’s coaching staff. Last year, world champion gymnast Kara Eaker shocked the gymnastics community after retiring at 20. She and several athletes subsequently came forward with similar allegations against the University of Utah coaching staff. So what are your views on the Rutgers Gymnastics fiasco? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.