Rutgers Fires Women's Gymnastics Coach Accused Of Bullying, Weight Gain Comments

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Umme Salim-Beasley was fired by Rutgers as its head women's gymnastics coach, a Rutgers spokesman said Thursday.

Rutgers announced in this press release Wednesday that assistant gymnastics coach Anastasia Candia has been promoted to the job of head coach.

Salim-Beasley had been on paid leave since January, after multiple young women on the RU gymnastics team accused her of bullying, exclusion and favoritism, and leading a "toxic" environment on the team. Also, Salim-Beasley and former Rutgers athletic director Patrick Hobbs had a secret affair while both were employed at Rutgers, and she reported to him, according to an independent investigation that wrapped up this winter.

Hobbs was married at the time. Salim-Beasley was not married.

That outside investigation also substantiated many of the bullying allegations against the former coach.

RU gymnasts said Salim-Beasley belittled them and body shamed them for gaining weight. The players said she "verbally abused" more than half of the young women on the team.

Salim-Beasley denied all the complaints against her. One of the arguments made by her attorney was that people “struggle to fully accept a female coach.”

"We are delighted to announce Anastasia as our head gymnastics coach," said Rutgers Interim Athletic Director Ryan Pisarri Wednesday.

Last August, Hobbs abruptly announced he was quitting the top job of running Rutgers Athletics; he publicly said it was because he had a heart issue.

But then Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway revealed the truth: Hobbs quit after the university told him he was being investigated for having "an undisclosed consensual relationship" with Salim-Beasley.

"Patrick Hobbs resigned abruptly in August, citing health issues, two days after he was informed that the university’s own investigation into rumors of an undisclosed consensual relationship was beginning. He is no longer employed by or connected to the university in any way," Holloway publicly said in January.

By having a romantic relationship with Salim-Beasley, which neither he nor she disclosed to the university, Hobbs had a conflict of interest, said an outside law firm that was hired to investigate the complaints against her.

In fact, Hobbs did just the opposite. He appeared to take "an unusual interest" in the women's gymnastics team, showing up at their practices, traveling with the team to faraway meets and even doing yoga with Salim-Beasley and the students, NJ.com previously reported.

Also, students on the team said Hobbs was dismissive when they complained to him about her.

Salim-Beasley has been coaching Rutgers gymnastics for six years, after previously coaching at Temple University.

Rutgers Gymnastics Coach On Leave After Report Says She, Ex-AD Had Affair (January 2025)