Harvard women's hockey program to take steps to change culture after abuse complaints
Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott said Wednesday the school is taking steps to reshape its women's ice hockey program after an independent review into allegations of alleged abuse under longtime head coach Katey Stone.
McDermott's comments come five months after reports by the Boston Globe and the Athletic shed light on the culture under Stone, which included allegations of abusive coaching strategies, hazing behaviors and the use of racist language. According to the Globe, the team participated in traditional hazing activities like "Naked Skate" and "Initiation Week" one day after the original Globe story published.
"Our current women's ice hockey team has not fostered a culture of hazing," McDermott said in a statement on Wednesday. "However, it is clear that some traditions in recent years were experienced differently by different people and not all were comfortable with those activities or with expressing concerns relating to the program. We now have an opportunity to end team traditions that are harmful to team culture and inconsistent with our community norms."
McDermott only addressed hazing allegations in her email to Harvard Athlete affiliates.
Complaints from nearly 20 former players were shared with the Globe, but many said when those complaints were sent to Harvard administrators, they were left with little to no avail. Some of those complaints included Stone allegedly body shaming, hazing, pushing players in ways that forced them to seek mental health resources and using inconsistent disciplinary standards, according to the Globe.
Stone retired in June after 29 years leading the program.
The school conducted an independent review of the program through law firm Jenner & Block. The firm's report or a summary of the findings have yet to be released to the public, prompting criticism for a lack of transparency.
“Individuals who participated in the review were promised anonymity throughout the process. Releasing detailed information or documents that were received and reviewed during this work could jeopardize the privacy of those who participated," a Harvard spokesperson said, according to the Globe.
Though those details aren't public, they were serious enough for McDermott to lay out how the athletic department will look to improve.
McDermott shared initiatives which include the department annually instructing student-athletes and administrative and coaching staff on reporting conduct inconsistent with Harvard's community standards. Student-athletes will be provided instructions for how to access mental health resources and other faculty resources to help balance academic and athletic life.