Following a settlement agreement between the Iowa football program and a group of Black former players who filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz released a statement on Monday expressing his disappointment with the decision.
The lawsuit—in which former players alleged that racial discrimination was prevalent throughout the Iowa football program—was settled on Monday over two years after it was filed. In his statement, Ferentz lamented the settlement decision, which he claims was made without the input of the coaches who were mentioned in the suit.
“The settlement negotiations took place between plaintiff’s counsel and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office which represents the University of Iowa and the Board of Regents. These discussions took place entirely without the knowledge or consent of the coaches who were named in the lawsuit,” Ferentz’s statement read. “In fact, the parties originally named disagree with the decision to settle fully believing the case would have been dismissed with prejudice before trial.”
The settlement agreement was signed by 12 former players. It will pay $4.175 million, nearly half of which will come from public funds, according to Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register. The Iowa Department of Management’s State Appeal Board approved the settlement by a 2–1 vote. One of the board members, state treasurer Roby Smith, wrote that he encouraged the school to “reexamine the relationship with not only [athletics director] Gary Barta but [offensive coordinator] Brian Ferentz.”
Players in the suit called for $20 million in damages and the dismissals of Barta, both Kirk and Brian Ferentz and other demands as a result of poor treatment of Black players at Iowa.
In a statement, state auditor Rob Sand—who voted against the settlement—decried the decision to use taxpayer money as part of the payment, citing past lawsuits against the Iowa athletics program.
“In addition to milking taxpayers, this settlement does nothing to discourage a pattern of discrimination that may cost hard-working Iowans even more in the future,” Sand wrote. “Enough is enough. Iowans should not have to foot the bill for repeated bad behavior.”
“For more than two years, our program has been unfairly and negatively impacted by these allegations,” Ferentz’s statement read. “Members of the staff had their character and reputation tarnished by former members of our team who said things, then recanted many statements when questioned under oath. Today we move forward. My focus is entirely on the players, coaches and staff as we prepare for the 2023 season.”
