Harvard athletics announced it will end team traditions “that are harmful to team culture” and undertake initiatives to address player safety and well-being in response to the findings of a recent investigation into the Harvard women’s ice hockey program.
According to an internal email from athletic director Erin McDermott obtained by The Athletic, the findings of the report by law firm Jenner & Block made clear “that some traditions in recent years were experienced differently by different people and not all were comfortable with those activities or with expressing concerns relating to the program.”
Harvard initiated the external review by Jenner & Block in March, following The Athletic’s reporting on a variety of misconduct allegations involving former coach Katey Stone and her program. Stone, 57, has since retired from the program, ending her tenure of 27 seasons with the Crimson.
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The probe also found that the athletics department’s procedures and communications with student-athletes led to “confusion and frustration” and there were areas where improvement was needed, according to the email. To address those, McDermott outlined initiatives…
