Minnesota A.D. had complaints from Va. Tech
The University of Minnesota said Monday that former athletic director Norwood Teague failed to disclose that he was facing a gender discrimination complaint at the time he was being recruited.
The school paid the Atlanta-based firm Parker Executive Search $112,539 in 2012 to find an athletic director and do background checks on leading candidates. However, that search failed to find that former Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball coach filed a complaint against Teague when he was the athletic director there. VCU paid Cunningham $125,000 in July 2012 to settle the complaint.
Minnesota said in a statement that Parker assured the school “that it had no knowledge of any illegal or inappropriate behavior concerning a candidate’s history or current employment.”
The University said that when the school learned of the VCU settlement, the school’s general counsel contacted a VCU attorney to get more information. That attorney told the University of Minnesota that no information could be disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement.
“The VCU attorney gave no indication of any concerns about Teague and, in fact, was highly complementary of him in the conversation,” the University statement says.
Phinney opens Pro Challenge with win
CYCLING: Taylor Phinney won the opening stage of the USA Pro Challenge on Monday, sprinting away in the closing meters in Steamboat Springs, Colo., for his first victory since a devastating crash nearly ended his cycling career.
The second stage is a 115-mile trek to Arapahoe Basin. The race concludes Sunday.
• Mountain biker dies during Leadville 100: An experienced mountain biker died Saturday while participating in the grueling Leadville 100 race in Colorado’s mountains.
Scott Ellis, 55, of Johnstown, Colorado, died near the end of the 100-mile, high altitude course. It’s the first death in the history of the 32-year history of the race.
Ellis’ Peloton-Specialized team said he apparently suffered a heart attack but Lake County coroner Shannon Dent would only say that he suspected natural causes in Ellis’ death.
Chalupny retires from U.S. women’s soccer
MISCELLANY: Defender Lori Chalupny has announced her retirement from the U.S. women’s national team.
Chalupny, 31, will wrap up her international career on the team’s victory tour to celebrate its World Cup title. Her career with the U.S. women began in 2001, when she was just 15. She has made 104 international appearances.
• Bilbao holds off Barcelona: Athletic Bilbao ended a 31-year trophy drought with a 1-1 draw at Barcelona, claiming the Spanish Super Cup with a 5-1 aggregate victory over the reigning European champions.
The result means Barcelona can’t match the six titles it won in a single calendar year under Pep Guardiola in 2009.
• Briere retires after 17 seasons: Danny Briere, the undersized center who went on to become an NHL All-Star, has retired after a 17-year career that saw him play for Phoenix, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Montreal and Colorado.