Regardless of the results concerning a federal gender discrimination investigation of the University of Minnesota, the Gophers Athletic Department will not face penalties from the NCAA, according to Sports Headliners sources.
After the men’s basketball scandal of the late 1990s and the stern penalties administered by the NCAA, Gophers supporters have feared another problem with the national governing authority for college sports. Forfeited games, dismissal of coaches, financial penalties and even banishment of a sport can result from NCAA rules violations. Repeat offenders have the potential to be judged particularly harshly.
A gender discrimination investigation at the U began months ago after an anonymous complaint was made to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, according to news sources. It’s believed that at the core of the complaint and investigation is the future location of the Gophers track for track and field athletes. The present track site will be replaced by a new football facility, part of a $150 million upgrade of facilities that will benefit all sports at the University.
Women’s track and field accounts for a large portion of the female athletes at the University. While there has been considerable discussion for a long time about relocating the track facility to the St. Paul area, Sports Headliners is told sites on the Minneapolis campus are being scrutinized. It’s likely a majority of those involved with track and field at Minnesota prefer the convenience of a track on the main campus, rather than practicing and competing somewhere in St. Paul such as the “farm campus” or Hamline.
The federal investigation could have various conclusions regarding whether the University isn’t in compliance with Title IX, the 43-year-old law banning gender discrimination at federally funded schools. Theoretically, the University could be told to spend more money and create additional opportunities for women, or pay a financial penalty, or have federal funds withdrawn.
But even with the most severe outcome from the Feds, the Athletic Department will not face action from the NCAA. There will be no crossover, according to sources with knowledge of the Gophers’ situation.
The U Athletic Department has a history of supporting equal opportunity. For a number of years there were even separate men’s and women’s departments. When Joel Maturi took over as the head of a combined department in 2002, he made Title IX compliance and support for women’s athletics a high priority.
The truth, too, is there are so many subtleties involving Title IX that probably a vast majority of major college athletic departments could be found—at least minimally or on some technicality—out of compliance. But that doesn’t mean such schools, even when judged by critics, aren’t providing equitable opportunities and treatment to both women and men.
It’s believed the Gophers $150 million project was delayed from a June or July groundbreaking until September because of the federal investigation and track location. But the Athletic Department also will be surer of its construction costs by then, and that may have been a factor, too.
Worth Noting
It won’t be surprising if the Wild don’t re-sign goalie Devan Dubnyk who might accept a deal with another team for $4 to $5 million per year. Sources tell Sports Headliners the Wild’s max is more in the $2.5 to $3 million range.
U.S. Bank will make its first payment to the Vikings next year for the 20-year naming rights for the new downtown stadium opening in 2016. It’s been speculated the total cost of the agreement is $220 million for 20 years.
Mike Wallace, the wide receiver acquired by the Vikings in the offseason, was headed to Jamaica for a few days late last week after the team ended its run of mini-camps. Wallace and the Vikings have several weeks off before opening training camp in late July in Mankato but that doesn’t mean conditioning stops. “I know I am gonna be running a lot when I am at home (Houston),” Wallace said. “I can’t come in looking sloppy. I gotta be ready.”
Babatunde Aiyegbusi, the free agent from Poland who the Vikings signed as an offensive tackle earlier this year, is receiving an introduction to not only football but American culture including food. “I’ve got a lot of food I shouldn’t eat,” the 6-9, 351-pound Aiyegbusi said in his Polish accent. “From the worst I shouldn’t eat is cornbread. That made my day in the restaurant.”
Aiyegbusi, 27, has experienced different cultures having lived in England, Germany and Poland. He has visited many more European countries.
A number of other Vikings will try to make the roster as free agents when the club is in training camp including former Gophers wide receiver Isaac Fruechte. He plans to work out in coming weeks with other pro players including Bills tight end MarQueis Gray and Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.
A player who might surprise among free agents is linebacker Brian Peters who is with the Vikings after playing in the Canadian Football League for the Roughriders the last two seasons. In 2014 he led the team in tackles with 78 and also had three sacks.
Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was reportedly in town recently, and he dates a woman from Maple Grove who now lives in the Dallas area. Aikman is friends with Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner who was his presenter at Hall of Fame ceremonies in 2006.
Turner is a horse racing fan and was recently at Canterbury Park with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
How much are major corporations willing to pay for NBA Finals courtside seats? The answer is a lot when prime seats are needed to entertain prime customers. A source told Sports Headliners mid-court tickets on the floor were priced at $12,500.00 each face value but sold on the secondary market for $25,000.00 per ticket for last Tuesday’s championship game in Cleveland between the Cavs and Warriors.
The Twins announced consecutive sellouts on Saturday and Sunday with the Cubs playing at Target Field. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday attendance total of 117,156 was the largest for a three-game series this season at Target Field, and the most since the Twins drew 118,227 against Detroit June 26-28, 2011.
Twins rookie center fielder Byron Buxton stole his first major league base yesterday in an 8-0 loss to the Cubs. Buxton had one hit and is batting .120 with the Twins, three hits in 25 at bats.
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