Rutgers coach comes under fire again — In better N.J. news, Hezly Rivera is honored with a parade in Oradell

An NJ Advance Media investigation confirmed this week what was already suspected: Rutgers gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley was romantically involved with former Rutgers’ athletic director Patrick Hobbs leading up to Hobbs’ resignation in August. Hobbs was denied a raise and restructured contract just before he resigned, but the article confirms that the external probe into his relationship with Salim-Beasley was the precipitating event for the resignation. Officially, Hobbs blamed the hasty departure on his health, but it’s hard to read the story and not come away worried for the health, mental and physical, of the gymnasts who got caught in the web of this relationship. 

An August 27 NJ Advance Media article discussed the complaints put forward by Rutgers gymnasts about the unhealthy culture on their team that included allegations of bullying and retaliation by Salim-Beasley. I wrote about that here.

One of the gymnasts’ complaints was that their allegations against Salim-Beasley went no further than Hobbs. And several gymnasts raised concerns — outlined in the most recent NJ Advance Media article — that the relationship between the two went beyond the professional. Hobbs traveled with the team to away meets at least five times last season, something other non-revenue sports coaches at the university said was unheard of. Salim-Beasley’s salary rose steadily over the last five years despite the team’s lack of success (they were just 2-43 in Big Ten competition) and declining revenue and donations. In 2023, Salim-Beasley signed a contract worth nearly a million dollars over five years — at a time when the team had not won a Big Ten meet during season. 

Gymnasts reportedly asked Hobbs about his relationship with Salim-Beasley during face-to-face meetings, and he denied it, the article says. 

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I am a Rutgers student myself, full disclosure, though I have no connections to the gymnastics team. I’ve attended a few meets and interviewed gymnasts, a team manager, and Salim-Beasley at different times for both The IX and other publications. I’ve always come away feeling positive about my interactions, which just goes to show that what you have heard over the years from nearly every journalist who covers gymnastics (and other sports affected by abuse, which is all of them) — you absolutely cannot tell from the outside what’s really going on inside a team or organization. 

Hearing another story of abuse and poor team culture, this time on a team that I feel more connected to than many others, is shocking and startling even in this sport riddled with such instances. I hope the Rutgers gymnasts get their voices heard. 

Other gym news:

College Gym News has a piece on teams’ odds during the run for the 2024 NCAA championship title. Watching eventual winner LSU’s chances as they went through the four rotations is interesting.

The Gymternet has the British Championships results. 

GymCastic’s main episode this week was a Q&A with listeners.

The logo for the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta was revealed by the FIG this week. 

Olympic Parade of the Week

Oradell, N.J., held a parade for Hezly Rivera. Rivera is an Oradell native, though she now trains in Texas.  

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