Meyer, Griesbaum talk about University of Iowa settlement

DES MOINES — A former University of Iowa field hockey coach and her partner, a former associate athletic director, say they aren't gunning for UI Athletic Director Gary Barta to be fired, despite his role in discrimination claims that resulted in a $6.5 million settlement last week.

But Tracey Griesbaum and Jane Meyer say there are deeper gender biases at the UI — and not just in athletics.

'It's not my decision if he keeps his job or not,' Meyer said of Barta. 'But there are things in that department that have not been unraveled.'

The women spoke to The Gazette in their first interview after the settlement was announced Friday afternoon. They were relaxed, but emotional at times in an hourlong interview in the offices of Newkirk-Zwagerman, the law firm that represented both women.

The settlement, in which the UI admits no wrongdoing, came Friday after a Polk County jury found in favor of Meyer for $1.4 million May 4. Griesbaum's gender bias suit against the UI was scheduled to start June 5, but the settlement came together quickly after a judge declined to postpone the Griesbaum case to give the UI time to regroup, attorneys said.

Barta released an upbeat statement Friday that ended with the phrase 'the best is yet to come,' but Barta's job may be on the line, depending on the results of an upcoming independent review of athletics employment practices.

'I would hope he's thinking 'onward and upward' without losing sight of what has happened,' Griesbaum said of her former boss. 'I want to see what he's really going to do. If he really pulls back all the layers and really looks at the behavior with a clear lens, I have no problem with him having an opportunity to make change.'

[naviga:h3 style="font-size: 14px!important;"]Audio: Griesbaum on whether she talked with parents and students about what they could expect in terms of tough coaching.

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Much of the three-week Meyer trial focused on how Barta handled a student-athlete's complaint Griesbaum had verbally abused her. Although an investigation showed Griesbaum had not violated university policies, he decided Aug. 4, 2014, to fire her.

Meyer was transferred out of the department in 2014 and her job was later eliminated.

Meyer, 57, who worked in UI athletics from 2001 to 2014, proved to a jury the UI had a double standard for male and female coaches and a willingness to pay men more for similar duties. The jury also agreed the UI retaliated against Meyer when she complained about bias she saw in the department.

Griesbaum, 51, who was head coach from 2000 to 2014, said she's never had misgivings about her coaching style, which produced successful teams by holding student-athletes to high standards. Hundreds of former players, coaches and other supporters agreed with the strategy, forming a 'Reinstate Tracey Griesbaum as University of Iowa Field Hockey Coach' Facebook page in 2014. That page still is active with members posting about last week's settlement.

'Everyone deserves to be coached to their full potential,' Griesbaum said Monday. 'I've never felt like I needed to be cleared of any wrongdoing.'

But Griesbaum's very public firing, along with quiet dismissals of other female coaches across the country, have made women fearful one tough word could cause a student-athlete complaint that would result in the coach losing her job, Griesbaum said.

'The real elite field hockey coaches won't change (how they coach), but these younger female coaches who we want to stay in the field, we don't want them to conform to survive,' she said.

During Griesbaum's 14 years at the UI, she always talked with students and parents about her coaching style so they knew what to expect.

'I have to believe that helped, even though there were some student-athlete complaints,' she said. But 'is Kirk Ferentz having to do that? Is he having to talk to Johnny's parents incessantly to get validation of his coaching style?'

Griesbaum was referring to the UI's head football coach, the state's highest paid public employee with $4.8 million last year, who testified against Meyer.

Tom Newkirk, one of Griesbaum's and Meyer's lawyers, said there are subtle gender biases that cause people to expect certain behaviors from women and be offended when a woman doesn't act that way. Women working in male-dominated fields, like athletics, are judged as heavy handed — a phrase used to describe Meyer at trial — when they are just doing their jobs.

Since the trial, Meyer has heard from women in other UI departments, particularly science and technology, who have concerns about gender bias. She and Griesbaum have been approached about public speaking opportunities, although nothing has been scheduled yet.

'That's a very important issue to get out and educate people about the subtle biases that are occurring across the country,' Meyer said. 'We believe there are some opportunities to move the dial a little.'

[naviga:h3 style="font-size: 14px!important;"]Audio: Griesbaum and Meyer on efforts to get athletic officials interested in Griesbaum's program.

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Griesbaum said she'd like to combine coaching and public speaking.

'I love field hockey. It's a passion. I miss interacting with the players and I miss coaching,' she said. Griesbaum started to cry when she mentioned Lisa Cellucci, an assistant field hockey coach promoted to head coach when Griesbaum was fired, and Faye Thompson, an athletic trainer who quit in protest after Griesbaum's dismissal.

'Their support has never wavered,' she said. 'My former student-athletes have continued to be super proud of the product they helped develop. It's given us more momentum and courage.'

According to documents, the UI will pay Griesbaum about $1.5 million and pay about another $1 million in legal fees.

The deal calls for about $2.3 million for Meyer, and another roughly $1.6 million in legal fees on her behalf. This settlement includes the $1.43 million a Polk County jury awarded to Meyer.

There is no deadline on the settlement payment, but the UI have said it will be done by June 2, Newkirk said.

The money will come from UI Athletics, which does not receive taxes or tuition revenue.

The UI plans to hire an independent firm to conduct an external review of UI employment practices. The first phase will cover the Athletic Department, Phase 2 will review UI academic and operational units and the third phase will focus on UI Health Care, the UI reported.

The university is forming a committee of representatives of the administration, faculty, staff and students to select the outside consulting firm(s), the UI said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com