I have never heard more people speak more highly of a person than I have of Penn heavyweight crew coach Stan Bergman. "The man has no rowers; he has disciples," declared Legal Studies professor Nick Constan, the team's academic adviser.
The outpouring of support for Coach Bergman prior to and in the wake of his forced resignation last month has been tremendous. Four Ivy League crew coaches, the men's national team crew coach, five former crew Olympians and almost 200 other former rowers, college and high school coaches and friends signed a petition in January in support of coach Bergman. They asked that athletic director Steve Bilsky allow Bergman, a man with "22 years of extraordinary success in developing crews and oarsmen, ... to retire on his own terms."
Bergman only wanted to stay on one more year, to remain coach until his last class of rowers graduates next May. "I wanted to stay with the kids I had recruited for their last year. I wanted to see them through. This was very important to me."
It doesn't seem like too much to ask for. But Bilsky doesn't agree.
As reported in The Daily Pennsylvanian today, Bergman was basically given an ultimatum -- resign as head coach and become the director of rowing affairs or be unceremoniously dismissed.
It was take it or leave it.
No matter the petition, no matter that Bergman's whole team was up in arms -- Bergman was going to go. Bilsky wouldn't even hear the opinion of the crew team as a whole until after captain Nathaniel Allen wrote a letter to University Provost Ron Daniels.
The athletic department has been very evasive during this whole situation, and it's little wonder why.
Its behavior has scant defense. What could it say? How can it justify not renewing Bergman's contract on the basis of the rowing team's poor performance of late if his own team is revolting over his removal? How often does a losing team say that "our coach is more important to us than our record?"
People sometimes forget that college sports are supposed to be fun. Athletics in college, especially in a small-money sport like crew, is about the athletes and their love of the game. The college, the alumni -- they're secondary.
No college athlete is getting paid, and only a few are going pro. And playing college sports is a big commitment. Traveling during exams, spending spring break far removed from Cancun, making early mornings visits to the gym -- it's a lot to ask, and players deserve respect.
It's the crew team's team, and if any group should have a voice about their coach, it's them. They shouldn't be brushed aside by Steve Bilsky.
Furthermore, as made clear in the petition by former crew members and 1992 College alumni Jon Beldon and Rob Seiger, Bergman is more than just a coach:
"No only is Mr. Bergman the most successful rowing coach in the history of Penn ... [but he has also] been instrumental in the success of lives and careers, and is a shining example of dignity, fairness and honor. ... He simply changed our lives forever, showing us what we were capable of and nudging us towards greatness."
What an asset to our University; Bergman seems like someone worth keeping around.
"Coach Bergman instilled in each and every one of us that respect and loyalty are the fundamental cornerstones to success at any level," the petition read.
"Respect and loyalty" -- something Bilsky might want to get some lessons on.
A replacement for Bergman hasn't been found, and there's still time to do right by him, his team and the rowing program. He should be allowed to come back as head coach for one final season.
Whatever happens, Bergman's treatment throughout this sad saga is an embarrassment for the athletic department, and it makes one wonder what kind of crew coach Penn will be able to get in the future. Furthermore, what kind of a message about Penn is our athletic department sending in general -- that we put our most noble educators, mentors and coaches out to pasture?
"It's a horrible betrayal," one of the creators of the petition said.
I'm inclined to agree.
Alex Weinstein is a junior history major from Bridgeport, W.V. Straight to Hell appears on Thursdays.
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