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The news that UMBC athletic director Tiffany D. Tucker plans to attend a tailgate before the men’s lacrosse home game against Bryant on Saturday was welcomed by some parents eager to hear from her for the first time since coach Ryan Moran was placed on administrative leave more than six months ago. But those same parents questioned the motivation.
“Why now?” one parent said. “As far as we’re concerned, that outreach should have occurred in October.”
Said another parent: “Communication is important. A good leader and somebody with good social and communication skills could probably figure out a way to communicate with parents of a team that hasn’t had a coach for almost a year now.”
The parents spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns that their children might face reprisals.
Separate incidents during the current academic calendar that have roiled the Retrievers’ men’s lacrosse and women’s softball teams have cast the university’s athletic department in an unfavorable light. And criticism from parents has centered on Tucker, who began her tenure as the school’s sixth athletic director when she agreed to a four-year contract that began Aug. 16, 2024, and ends Aug. 15, 2028.
“When the softball thing came out, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, another thing?’” a lacrosse parent said. “Her being here for two years at the job, it’s not good to have two things like this going on.”
Asked if he had confidence in Tucker as a leader, the parent replied, “I just don’t know right now how you can.”
Tucker declined to answer whether she is the best person for the job, saying, “I have no comment.”
But UMBC president Valerie Sheares Ashby said she has “100 percent” confidence in Tucker’s ability to lead the athletic department.
“Every leader has to make decisions with the information they have at the time,” Sheares Ashby said Wednesday. “You make the best decisions you can. This is what we do every single day. And that’s rarely the last decision. And so when you have new information, you make the next decision with all of that information being considered, and this is what I see happening here.”
Tucker, who played basketball at the University of North Carolina from 2001 to 2006, coached teams at Allegheny College, Radford University, Francis Marion University and Claflin University. She worked in athletic administration at Elizabeth State University, Hampton University, South Carolina State University and UNC Wilmington, where she worked as a deputy athletic director.
Tucker’s second year at the helm with the Retrievers has been marred by incidents involving lacrosse and softball coaches. Since at least October, Moran has been on administrative leave because of a review triggered by a bullying and “sexual misconduct” allegation by one player against a teammate, lawyers representing the accuser confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
On Sunday, Tucker informed softball players that Angie Nicholson was removed as head coach, five days after Rick Nicholson was dismissed.
On two separate occasions earlier this month, Rick Nicholson brushed the chest of two female players while attempting to swat away insects. When the second player objected to the contact, Rick Nicholson scolded the player. He walked into the dugout and threatened to cut the player, which an observer overheard and reported. On March 17, Nicholson was informed that he would not be retained.
The Nicholsons did not return a request for comment. In a text message, Moran said, “I can’t comment on anything at this time.”
While Tucker noted that she was Hampton’s director for administration, sponsorships and governance in 2017 when Angie Nicholson was the softball coach there, Sheares Ashby denied that she played a role in the school hiring Nicholson last August.
“There’s no version where friendship or relationship impacts hiring,” she said. “That’s a recipe for a disaster. We don’t do that.”
Tucker dodged whether terminating the Nicholsons’ employment was difficult. “I’m always going to lead with the highest level of integrity and do what’s right for the health and safety of our student-athletes every day,” she said.
Lacrosse and softball parents have criticized Tucker’s leadership style, saying she has not shared any information with them or made any reassurances to the players. Although Tucker said she plans to meet with softball parents “in the very near future,” they are still waiting for a date and time.
“The parents want to meet with the athletic administration,” a parent said. “It would help the parents to speak up for their children. These meetings are not easy for all of them to speak in. I feel like the parents would be less inhibited and maybe say some things that the girls couldn’t say.”
Tucker said she can empathize with parents’ frustrations.
“As a leader, I never want any of our folks to be without the appropriate information at the right time when I can give it,” she said. “But I will also say I want to make sure that I’m always respecting the privacy of our students and our employees in any given time.”
Sheares Ashby said employment laws that protect privacy and confidentiality prevent her, Tucker and other officials from disclosing too much publicly. But she agreed that the lines of communication can improve.
“I just think that’s a place where we can certainly always improve and don’t ever want to give the illusion of not being able to share the things that we can,” she said. “I think I would ask Tiffany how she is communicating now with the parents. I know that she is taking some steps to share more around the process and where we are and how we’re moving forward.”
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
Continue reading...
“Why now?” one parent said. “As far as we’re concerned, that outreach should have occurred in October.”
Said another parent: “Communication is important. A good leader and somebody with good social and communication skills could probably figure out a way to communicate with parents of a team that hasn’t had a coach for almost a year now.”
The parents spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns that their children might face reprisals.
Separate incidents during the current academic calendar that have roiled the Retrievers’ men’s lacrosse and women’s softball teams have cast the university’s athletic department in an unfavorable light. And criticism from parents has centered on Tucker, who began her tenure as the school’s sixth athletic director when she agreed to a four-year contract that began Aug. 16, 2024, and ends Aug. 15, 2028.
“When the softball thing came out, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, another thing?’” a lacrosse parent said. “Her being here for two years at the job, it’s not good to have two things like this going on.”
Asked if he had confidence in Tucker as a leader, the parent replied, “I just don’t know right now how you can.”
Tucker declined to answer whether she is the best person for the job, saying, “I have no comment.”
But UMBC president Valerie Sheares Ashby said she has “100 percent” confidence in Tucker’s ability to lead the athletic department.
“Every leader has to make decisions with the information they have at the time,” Sheares Ashby said Wednesday. “You make the best decisions you can. This is what we do every single day. And that’s rarely the last decision. And so when you have new information, you make the next decision with all of that information being considered, and this is what I see happening here.”
Tucker, who played basketball at the University of North Carolina from 2001 to 2006, coached teams at Allegheny College, Radford University, Francis Marion University and Claflin University. She worked in athletic administration at Elizabeth State University, Hampton University, South Carolina State University and UNC Wilmington, where she worked as a deputy athletic director.
Tucker’s second year at the helm with the Retrievers has been marred by incidents involving lacrosse and softball coaches. Since at least October, Moran has been on administrative leave because of a review triggered by a bullying and “sexual misconduct” allegation by one player against a teammate, lawyers representing the accuser confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
On Sunday, Tucker informed softball players that Angie Nicholson was removed as head coach, five days after Rick Nicholson was dismissed.
On two separate occasions earlier this month, Rick Nicholson brushed the chest of two female players while attempting to swat away insects. When the second player objected to the contact, Rick Nicholson scolded the player. He walked into the dugout and threatened to cut the player, which an observer overheard and reported. On March 17, Nicholson was informed that he would not be retained.
The Nicholsons did not return a request for comment. In a text message, Moran said, “I can’t comment on anything at this time.”
While Tucker noted that she was Hampton’s director for administration, sponsorships and governance in 2017 when Angie Nicholson was the softball coach there, Sheares Ashby denied that she played a role in the school hiring Nicholson last August.
“There’s no version where friendship or relationship impacts hiring,” she said. “That’s a recipe for a disaster. We don’t do that.”
Tucker dodged whether terminating the Nicholsons’ employment was difficult. “I’m always going to lead with the highest level of integrity and do what’s right for the health and safety of our student-athletes every day,” she said.
Lacrosse and softball parents have criticized Tucker’s leadership style, saying she has not shared any information with them or made any reassurances to the players. Although Tucker said she plans to meet with softball parents “in the very near future,” they are still waiting for a date and time.
“The parents want to meet with the athletic administration,” a parent said. “It would help the parents to speak up for their children. These meetings are not easy for all of them to speak in. I feel like the parents would be less inhibited and maybe say some things that the girls couldn’t say.”
Tucker said she can empathize with parents’ frustrations.
“As a leader, I never want any of our folks to be without the appropriate information at the right time when I can give it,” she said. “But I will also say I want to make sure that I’m always respecting the privacy of our students and our employees in any given time.”
Sheares Ashby said employment laws that protect privacy and confidentiality prevent her, Tucker and other officials from disclosing too much publicly. But she agreed that the lines of communication can improve.
“I just think that’s a place where we can certainly always improve and don’t ever want to give the illusion of not being able to share the things that we can,” she said. “I think I would ask Tiffany how she is communicating now with the parents. I know that she is taking some steps to share more around the process and where we are and how we’re moving forward.”
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
Continue reading...
