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Gymnasts at Rutgers alleged Salim-Beasley bullied them and did not address their injuries nor mental health concerns, while the athletics department often turned a blind eye, due to the relationship between Hobbs and Salim-Beasley, according to the release of a 52-page report by the law firm Lowenstein and Sandler, commissioned by the school.
The 2023-2024 Rutgers women's gymnastics team was rife with dysfunction with teammates creating a Google form for the gymnasts to voice concerns, the report said.
"Unme is unprofessional," one gymnast wrote. "She is constantly on her phone during practice times and does not provide effective feedback. She does not care for the mental health of her athletes. She does not provide an encouraging or positive environment. She body shames and verbally, mentally and emotionally abuses over half her athletes. She does not treat each athlete with the same respect or fairness."
While some gymnasts defended Salim-Beasley, the report laid out how she played favorites, with six gymnasts claiming the coach never spoke to them. Another gymnast said Salim-Beasley told her to stop riding her scooter to practice so she could lose weight.
Gymnasts also claimed Salim-Beasley was dismissive of injuries or made passive-aggressive remarks if they were unable to compete.
In five hours of interviews, Salim-Beasley pushed back against the allegations. She said she always acted with care and kindness, even when the job required having difficult conversations. The coach would accompany athletes to the hospital for medical procedures. Salim-Beasley's assistants blamed a group of gymnasts who brought negativity to the team as a cause for the dysfunction.
Salim-Beasley also denied allegations she criticized anyone's body type or weight gain and she never pressured gymnasts to compete when injured. An attorney for Salim-Beasley said women coaches face an impossible double standard.
"A female coach must exhibit sufficiently masculine coaching styles to be respected and successful, but only up to a point," the attorney said. "If she goes too far, she receives backlash in the form of complaints such as abuse or bullying. However, a female coach is also expected (by the athletes) to exhibit feminine qualities (care, nurturing) at specific times, but again, only up to a point. If the female coach goes too far in that direction, she gets complaints doubting her ability or second-guessing her coaching methods. The result is an almost impossible line for any female to walk. It is also a line that men are not required to walk."
Hobbs stepped down from his role as athletic director citing "health concerns" last August, but his resignation came two days after he was told the university's outside counsel would be investigating the relationship. Hobbs did not respond to repeated requests for an interview from lawyers.
Hobbs was frequently in contact with the person investigating complaints against Salim-Beasley. Hobbs never reported the relationship to his supervisor nor recused himself from any investigations, violating university policy. A letter Hobbs sent to investigators did not address the relationship.
Gymnasts said the relationship was a distraction, and noted odd behavior like Hobbs being a frequent presence at practice, accompanying the team on road trips and participating in a yoga session and going out of his way to praise Salim-Beasley at a pizza party. Hobbs heavily involved himself in mundane decisions on the gymnastics team, which were usually handled by others.
"Head coach Umme Salim-Beasley has been placed on paid administrative leave while we continue to review and consider the findings of the investigation and appropriate next steps that are in the best interest of our student-athletes, the gymnastics program, and the University moving forward," the university said in a statement.
To view the report, click here.
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