Rutgers Gymnastics Coach On Leave After Report Says She, Ex-AD Had Affair

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Rutgers head gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley was put on paid leave Friday after an explosive report found she “presided over a divided and dysfunctional organization" on the women's gymnastics team.

The report also determined former athletic director Patrick Hobbs — who abruptly resigned in August — had an "undisclosed consensual relationship" with Salim-Beasley.

The relationship was romantic, the report found. Hobbs was married at the time.

In mid-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 on Friday morning, 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.

"I will reiterate what this report has now made public," Holloway said Friday in a statement to the Rutgers Board of Governors. "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."

Rutgers launched an investigation into Salim-Beasley in September, after multiple student-athletes on the women's gymnastics teams made complaints about her. The students said Salim-Beasley led a "toxic" environment on the team, and fostered a culture of bullying, exclusion and favoritism.

In September, Rutgers hired law firm Lowenstein Sandler to investigate, and they submitted their 52-page report to Holloway on Monday.

By having a romantic relationship with Salim-Beasley, which neither he nor she disclosed, Hobbs had a conflict of interest, their report found. He was the Rutgers athletic director; she was the women's gymnastics coach. She reported directly to him.

"We have concluded that there was a relationship between Hobbs and Salim-Beasley that required that Hobbs, as Salim- Beasley’s supervisor, recuse himself from her supervision," the report read. "The University President stated in his interview with us that Hobbs never reported any such relationship to him as Hobbs’ supervisor ... University policy requires that a supervisor 'recuse themselves from decisions that may have a direct or indirect impact on [an] employee with whom they are in' a 'romantic, dating, intimate and/or sexual relationship.'"

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, meets and even doing yoga with Salim-Beasley and the students, NJ.com reported in September.

Also, students on the team said Hobbs was dismissive when they complained to him about they way Salim-Beasley led the team.

As part of their investigation, Lowenstein Sandler interviewed Salim-Beasley herself, the three assistant coaches and members of the Rutgers women's gymnastics team. Hobbs declined to be interviewed.

Here are some of the allegations Rutgers gymnasts made against Salim-Beasley, according to the report:

One of the multiple gymnasts who quit the team under Salim-Beasley's coaching wrote to her in an email: “[I]t has been a big blessing to get away from the toxic environment that you have created . . . . There have been many situations where you have belittled, bashed my character and made me rethink who I am as a person.”

In a routine end-of-year survey administered by the Athletics Department in spring 2024, another gymnast wrote: "Umme is unprofessional. She is constantly on her phone during practice times and does not provide effective feedback/coaching. She does not care for the mental health of her athletes. She does not have time for any one on one time with each of her athletes. She does not provide an encouraging or positive environment. She body shames, and verbally, mentally, and emotionally abuses over half of her athletes. She does not treat each athlete with the same respect or fairness."

Another gymnast said that she “feel[s] bad [for the] 8-9 recruits that are coming in next year” because they will be “blindsided thinking this program is wonderful,” and she “wouldn’t wish coming here for the gymnastics team on anyone. It’s not worth it [at] all. The college itself is GREAT, but the head coach of Rutgers Gymnastics RUINS it!”

But not all comments about Salim-Beasley were negative. One gymnast told the law firm:

"Umme has been an incredible coach in my life. . . . I feel incredibly lucky to have her by my side. She’s not just a coach; she’s also a fantastic role model. One of the things I appreciate most about Umme is how she goes out of her way to create opportunities for me and my teammates. At our home meets, she’s always thinking of ways to give us extra chances to shine. Whether it’s by offering two exhibition spots or letting more of us warm up, she’s always looking for ways to help us feel more comfortable and confident."

Salim-Beasley’s attorney argued that "most of the concerns were ... the result of an emotional response to normal coaching or standard stress inherent in participation in Division I athletics.” He pointed to academic literature indicating that both men and women “struggle to fully accept a female coach.”

He argued the complaints against Salim-Beasley were “largely petty (and) ... bias-driven responses to a female coach.”

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

Lowenstein Sandler came to the conclusion that: "In multiple ways, Salim-Beasley lost control over the team and, at times, presided over a divided and dysfunctional organization. More broadly, Salim-Beasley did not seem to fully grasp the effect that her words and actions were having on many of the gymnasts."