Harvard men's cross country team put under probation after U. review of 'spreadsheet' about women's team

Harvard’s men’s cross country team has been placed on probation after making crude statements about the women’s cross country team on an internal spreadsheet, The Harvard Crimson reported.

Timothy Williamson, a spokesperson for the Athletics Department, told the Crimson, “No other teams have been put on athletic probation” before.

The team is the latest in a string of Ivy League sports teams who have entered the spotlight after making sexist, insensitive remarks in internal team messages. Columbia University’s wrestling team and Harvard’s men’s soccer team each had their seasons suspended after similar scandals were uncovered last month.

Members of the 2014 men’s cross-country team created a “crude and sexualized” spreadsheet about female athletes, according to a review by Harvard’s Office of the General Counsel cited in the Crimson. While the current men’s team also made a similar spreadsheet, it was not seen to “denigrate or objectify particular women,” the report found.

The athletic probation will not influence the team’s season or competition, team captain Brandon Price told the Crimson. The team will be under closer scrutiny, attend training seminars and speak to an outside consultant to improve team culture.