In a bit of shocking news, the University of Iowa announced Friday morning that longtime athletic director Gary Barta will be retiring on August 1st from the position he’s held since 2006.
Iowa confirms the news. Barta is stepping down Aug 1. #Hawkeyes https://t.co/kqOCGV2es6
— Scott Reister (@scottreister) May 26, 2023
Despite multiple Hawkeye athletic programs having significant success during his tenure, Barta’s time in Iowa City is probably most significantly defined by a litany of lawsuits, including: discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation, intimidating victims of sexual assault, hiring and retaining coaches with a history of causing and neglecting player injuries, employing advisers that trade football tickets for sexual favors and sexually harass students for decades on end, and racial bias within the Iowa football program.