Northwestern landed a new athletic director recently when they hired Mike Polisky on May. 3. After a little over a week, Polisky has announced his resignation from the position.
Polisky is one of four defendants currently battling a sexual harassment lawsuit from a former Northwestern cheerleader. The lawsuit claims that Polisky dismissed the cheerleaders accusations and accused her of fabricating evidence.
After heavy backlash from the decision to promote Mike Polisky from the deputy AD role, he has announced that he will be stepping down.
“Over the last 10 days, it has become clear to me that the current challenges will not allow me to effectively lead our department, especially during these unsettling times in college athletics,” Polisky said in a statement. “My love and respect for Northwestern and for our student-athletes, coaches and staff is greater than my own desire to lead the department.
“I do not want to be a distraction to our incredible men and women as they pursue a collective goal — to help our student-athletes become the best they can be. While my family and I are disappointed, I move forward knowing this is the right decision.”
Mike Polisky has resigned as Northwestern's athletic director.
“It has become clear to me that the current challenges will not allow me to effectively lead our department, especially during these unsettling times in college athletics,” he wrote in an email to the department.
— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) May 12, 2021
The backlash from the hire of Polisky included a letter from faculty sent to the university provost asking for an independent investigation of the hiring process. There was also a community march to President Morton Schapiro’s home to protest the hiring.
Of the complaints that were allegedly told to Mike Polisky included black cheerleaders telling him that they were being stigmatized, and told that they could not were braids while on the squad.
The university will now begin another search for their next athletic director.
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