The recent scandal involving Rutgers University basketball coach, Mike Rice, has sparked conversation about ethics throughout division 1 collegiate athletics. He was caught berating players with homophobic slurs and physically abusing players during practice. Rice was fired in early April, news of his conduct was brought to the attention of former athletic director, Tim Pernetti in November 2012. Rice was not disciplined after Pernetti first saw the tape late last year. He was suspended for two games early in 2013 for his conduct during a game, an incident that was not related to any of his conduct during practice.
The entire situation regarding the Rutgers coach did not receive any public reaction until the news was released a couple weeks ago. The media played an important role in the way the public perceived Rice. Obvioulsy, anyone who saw his actions would believe that he was in the wrong. But perhaps Rice may not have been fired if the media were not there to expose him. After the news was first broken, Rice was only going to receive a lengthy suspension, but the relentless reporting that television, radio and print media put into the story pressured Pernetti and Rice to be fired. The influence the media has can be found in almost any scandal in sports. The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal and the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State ordeal are the two most recent cases of media influence.
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