USC hired an external firm to investigate the athletic department's workplace culture.

"Four current and former USC employees said that staffers inside the athletics department had raised concerns to the law firm about Bohn."


https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story...hn-resigns

Let’s face it… B1G invite rescinded. Cal going to get in after all.

(05-19-2023 09:28 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  Let’s face it… B1G invite rescinded. Cal going to get in after all.

I doubt it. Liberty and New Mexico State are going to the Conference USA amid the shady look they have. Liberty is hates for being an Evangelical Christian school, and because Trump spoke at a graduation their. New Mexico State is under investigation into the culture of its football and basketball programs, especially when one of the basketball players was connected to the murder of a New Mexico student. Money talks, even in a life or death situation. USC will be fine. It's not like they've done shady stuff before.

(05-19-2023 08:37 PM)TerryD Wrote:  USC hired an external firm to investigate the athletic department's workplace culture.

"Four current and former USC employees said that staffers inside the athletics department had raised concerns to the law firm about Bohn."


https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story...hn-resigns

Seemed like a long pattern of similar behavior.

That’s fascinating. It seems that lots of subordinates from USC and the University of Cincinnati complained about the same issues for many years. Rare to see a large institution and the key party separate in this manner…Bohn resigns, but findings from the investigation are still made public.

It’s the balance between results and process. When the formal investigation was announced, I would have guessed that Bohn understood how President Folt felt about potential management issues and sexual harassment within the athletic department. Yet Bohn stayed in the role expecting that successful AD results (i.e., moving to the B1G, hiring Riley, etc.) would have spared him.

Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

What a surprise that some jocks are chauvinists. Who knew?

(05-20-2023 07:58 AM)XLance Wrote:  Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

This is certainly could be a red flag,
Cozen O’Connor describes Smith on its website as “the founder of the nation’s first practice dedicated to the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, child abuse, elder abuse, other forms of discrimination and harassment, workplace misconduct, and criminal conduct.”

Two of the three guys that put the USC-UCLA deal together in the summer of 2023 are gone before the summer of 2024 even begins. Kevin Warren is out, and Mike Bohn is out. I would have thought that the guy leaving first would have been Martin Jarmond, the UCLA AD. He has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the decision was announced to move to the Big Ten. UCLA has been at war with itself over that move and the UC BOR added the "Berkeley tax" to the move.

Jarmond is well-liked and he seems to have good people skills. He has been able to navigate through the past ten months. I have read that Warren was not being popular with the athletic directors of the Big Ten. Bohn apparently had some personnel and management issues at USC. I have been told by a friend that Bohn seemed aloof and abrasive, but my friend is not an employee of USC and had limited contact with Bohn.

(05-20-2023 07:58 AM)XLance Wrote:  Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

The guy could be a real piece of ****, but, yeah, my mind went there, too. It's USC, and the role has long been handled by people with strong links to the school. In California, around that "elite-level" environment...any word someone may not like could be your last.

Meanwhile, what goes on in your development/alumni relations offices...

(05-20-2023 07:58 AM)XLance Wrote:  Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

It's amazing that she let them join the B1G. Would be hilarious if she decided to stay in the Pac, after all.

(05-20-2023 10:53 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  Two of the three guys that put the USC-UCLA deal together in the summer of 2023 are gone before the summer of 2024 even begins. Kevin Warren is out, and Mike Bohn is out. I would have thought that the guy leaving first would have been Martin Jarmond, the UCLA AD. He has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the decision was announced to move to the Big Ten. UCLA has been at war with itself over that move and the UC BOR added the "Berkeley tax" to the move.

Jarmond is well-liked and he seems to have good people skills. He has been able to navigate through the past ten months. I have read that Warren was not being popular with the athletic directors of the Big Ten. Bohn apparently had some personnel and management issues at USC. I have been told by a friend that Bohn seemed aloof and abrasive, but my friend is not an employee of USC and had limited contact with Bohn.

Yeah, the AD's were hard on Warren b/c they wanted him to add Stanford and Cal b/c their Academics are better and they'd be 2 easy W's every year. They nearly killed the PSU deal 30 years ago, they made Nebraska grovel 13 years ago...this Conference has some issues.

FYI, any B1G schools that are dissatisfied with their current circumstance are welcome to reach out to my friend, Mike Slive. Well, not my friend per se, um, I've actually never met him, but I'm pretty sure that he'd be happy to talk to any current B1G schools that are dissatisfied.

(05-20-2023 09:47 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 10:53 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  Two of the three guys that put the USC-UCLA deal together in the summer of 2023 are gone before the summer of 2024 even begins. Kevin Warren is out, and Mike Bohn is out. I would have thought that the guy leaving first would have been Martin Jarmond, the UCLA AD. He has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the decision was announced to move to the Big Ten. UCLA has been at war with itself over that move and the UC BOR added the "Berkeley tax" to the move.

Jarmond is well-liked and he seems to have good people skills. He has been able to navigate through the past ten months. I have read that Warren was not being popular with the athletic directors of the Big Ten. Bohn apparently had some personnel and management issues at USC. I have been told by a friend that Bohn seemed aloof and abrasive, but my friend is not an employee of USC and had limited contact with Bohn.

Yeah, the AD's were hard on Warren b/c they wanted him to add Stanford and Cal b/c their Academics are better and they'd be 2 easy W's every year. They nearly killed the PSU deal 30 years ago, they made Nebraska grovel 13 years ago...this Conference has some issues.

FYI, any B1G schools that are dissatisfied with their current circumstance are welcome to reach out to my friend, Mike Slive. Well, not my friend per se, um, I've actually never met him, but I'm pretty sure that he'd be happy to talk to any current B1G schools that are dissatisfied.

Mike Slive died in 2018.

(05-20-2023 09:51 PM)AssKickingChicken Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 09:47 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 10:53 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  Two of the three guys that put the USC-UCLA deal together in the summer of 2023 are gone before the summer of 2024 even begins. Kevin Warren is out, and Mike Bohn is out. I would have thought that the guy leaving first would have been Martin Jarmond, the UCLA AD. He has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the decision was announced to move to the Big Ten. UCLA has been at war with itself over that move and the UC BOR added the "Berkeley tax" to the move.

Jarmond is well-liked and he seems to have good people skills. He has been able to navigate through the past ten months. I have read that Warren was not being popular with the athletic directors of the Big Ten. Bohn apparently had some personnel and management issues at USC. I have been told by a friend that Bohn seemed aloof and abrasive, but my friend is not an employee of USC and had limited contact with Bohn.

Yeah, the AD's were hard on Warren b/c they wanted him to add Stanford and Cal b/c their Academics are better and they'd be 2 easy W's every year. They nearly killed the PSU deal 30 years ago, they made Nebraska grovel 13 years ago...this Conference has some issues.

FYI, any B1G schools that are dissatisfied with their current circumstance are welcome to reach out to my friend, Mike Slive. Well, not my friend per se, um, I've actually never met him, but I'm pretty sure that he'd be happy to talk to any current B1G schools that are dissatisfied.

Mike Slive died in 2018.

Nonetheless, that would make for some pretty freaking interesting conversations.

(05-20-2023 08:20 AM)Kyle Mack Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 07:58 AM)XLance Wrote:  Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

This is certainly could be a red flag,
Cozen O’Connor describes Smith on its website as “the founder of the nation’s first practice dedicated to the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, child abuse, elder abuse, other forms of discrimination and harassment, workplace misconduct, and criminal conduct.”

Sounds like a lot of legitimate complaints, but you hire Folt to reach a predetermined conclusion.

(05-20-2023 10:07 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 08:20 AM)Kyle Mack Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 07:58 AM)XLance Wrote:  Carol Folt strikes again.

It's part of the "culture" she embraces, you not only rid yourself of what you don't like, but it is necessary to destroy anyone not in agreement with your philosophy.

This is certainly could be a red flag,
Cozen O’Connor describes Smith on its website as “the founder of the nation’s first practice dedicated to the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, child abuse, elder abuse, other forms of discrimination and harassment, workplace misconduct, and criminal conduct.”

Sounds like a lot of legitimate complaints, but you hire Folt to reach a predetermined conclusion.

And you go the extra lengths to secure Cozen O'Connor to create a report that acknowledges the components of a dysfunctional athletic culture without making enough of a direct claim pinning Bohn as the direct cause, but assert a lack of responsibility on the department's faults. Do what USC can to assert their narrative and minimize risk of defamation, publication of private facts, and/or false light claims.

The guy turns around USC football, and makes basketball there relevant again, and this is what he gets for it. I know the success and faultlessness things aren't mutually exclusive. He can be good at his job but also a total monster, but, going to this extent on a few employees' claims? Each year I feel more validated in saying that being an athletic director at a D1 school is THE worst and most thankless job at a college/university. Like, hey, I fixed your sports for you...and the president is like "I'm about to end this guy's whole career."

On a side note, because it was local news here in the Philly area, the University of Pennsylvania retained Cozen O'Connor to help in combating a house-staff/resident union at its health system. I'm sure they paid that firm a hefty coin. The union succeeded with something like 88% of the ballots voting in favor. Money well spent?

More on this:

Mike Bohn was under investigation at Cincinnati at the time USC hired him........

"They gave the keys to an idiot again, and he’s not even their idiot.” USC had another AD hire blow up in its face, and its just the latest embarrassment from a school that just can't get out of its own way."

https://theathletic.com/4552124/2023/05/...incinnati/

Read that this morning. They definitely seem to have some major issues within that school.

I had never heard about the issues in the athletic department at UC, but I'm glad someone took him off of my alma mater's hands before they had to fire him.

(05-20-2023 09:47 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(05-20-2023 10:53 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  Two of the three guys that put the USC-UCLA deal together in the summer of 2023 are gone before the summer of 2024 even begins. Kevin Warren is out, and Mike Bohn is out. I would have thought that the guy leaving first would have been Martin Jarmond, the UCLA AD. He has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the decision was announced to move to the Big Ten. UCLA has been at war with itself over that move and the UC BOR added the "Berkeley tax" to the move.

Jarmond is well-liked and he seems to have good people skills. He has been able to navigate through the past ten months. I have read that Warren was not being popular with the athletic directors of the Big Ten. Bohn apparently had some personnel and management issues at USC. I have been told by a friend that Bohn seemed aloof and abrasive, but my friend is not an employee of USC and had limited contact with Bohn.

Yeah, the AD's were hard on Warren b/c they wanted him to add Stanford and Cal b/c their Academics are better and they'd be 2 easy W's every year. They nearly killed the PSU deal 30 years ago, they made Nebraska grovel 13 years ago...this Conference has some issues.

FYI, any B1G schools that are dissatisfied with their current circumstance are welcome to reach out to my friend, Mike Slive. Well, not my friend per se, um, I've actually never met him, but I'm pretty sure that he'd be happy to talk to any current B1G schools that are dissatisfied.

If the ADs wanted Stanford and Cal, they'd be in the B1G already. It's not going to take more than 5 seconds for the B1G presidents to vote yes to Stanford/Cal if their ADs are in support and saying it works for them financially. The presidents tell Warren what to do, not the other way around.

(05-25-2023 02:03 PM)mlb Wrote:  Read that this morning. They definitely seem to have some major issues within that school.

I had never heard about the issues in the athletic department at UC, but I'm glad someone took him off of my alma mater's hands before they had to fire him.

Reading the article, if this story was posted on that subreddit /AITA, this would get a resounding "ESH" from me.

Is the guy really a dirtbag? Chauvinist and bigot? Sure. Sexual predator? Nothing on that, yet. Lots of hurt feelings and bitterness, though, from critics, detractors, and other gatekeepers. He's probably not your favorite person if you aren't a white man.

Still, reading this, I couldn't help but think..."ok, so, tear down your facilities and rip down your championship banners." HE got you to those. That's kind of what got him this work, if we're being honest. The stuff about him not being good with student athletes, alumni, certain administrators...I don't think USC only just found that out after the fact. I don't think Cincinnati didn't know enough, either. You make that hire for certain purposes and hope for the best the potential bad stuff isn't much of a factor. Except, in USC, a program likened to life in a fishbowl, yeah, that was going to go on display.

I got a chuckle out of the line about his delegating work. It doesn't sound like The Athletic really knows how things work in higher education. That part seemed a bit too smear-ish to me. Not saying Bohn shouldn't be doing that work, but, really? It's notoriously bad in places.