Wright State Athletic Director Bob Grant created controversy in the way he notified the swim team that they would be cut after this season.
According to multiple sources, Grant walked into the middle of a swim practice and told the team they were done following this season, and then he walked out.
This angered many people, including Karleigh Kessler, a member of the swim team. She felt it could have been handled more professionally by Grant.
“Bob Grant telling the team in the middle of morning practice was uncalled for," she said. “It goes hand in hand with how it was poorly presented. This could have been handled in a much better way than ruining a good practice.”
Grant's 2016-2017 yearly evaluation rated excellent or above excellent in fields such as communication with people and leadership qualities -- a dramatic contrast to what students have experienced, such as Jack Fergus, member of the swim team.
Fergus spoke of his frustration of Grant's unwillingness to meet with the swim team.
“He wouldn’t even hear us out," Fergus said. “Our alumni group has been trying to get a meeting with the president and the board of trustees for months and all Bob would tell us is that they’re busy and we can’t have one. It seems like he never had any interest in trying to keep us at all.”
Grant has been involved with Wright State for over 30 years, and has been the athletic director since 2008.
This is not the first time Grant has come under fire during his tenure. In 2016, Grant fired then-head basketball coach Billy Donlon.
Donlon had led the team to three twenty win seasons in his final four years, including multiple trips to the conference championship game.
Grant’s decision drew criticism not only from people and players at WSU, but from multiple athletic departments.
