NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers University President Robert Barchi said his decision to fire the school's athletic director and its head football coach was part of the competitive situation the state university now faces with its entry into the Big Ten Conference.
"There is a lot of pressure in this league and we have to succeed," he said.
In a conference call with reporters several hours after terminating the contracts of coach Kyle Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann —and after meeting privately for 20 minutes with the football team earlier in the afternoon — Barchi said the move to shake up the athletic department was not due to any single factor.