2nd coach out at NIC
COEUR d'ALENE — Keri Stanley has become the second North Idaho College wrestling coach to sever ties with the institution this winter amid an investigation into alleged academic integrity violations.
Assistant Coach Brandon Richardson, who became interim head coach late in the season after Pat Whitcomb was fired, said Stanley resigned before the Cardinals headed to the NJCAA National Championships in Iowa last week. NIC finished sixth in the nation.
"I was really sorry to hear that he resigned," said Richardson, adding that he doesn't know the specifics. "I haven't had the chance to sit down to talk with him in a little while, but now that life is settling down I'd like to.
"Keri is a good friend of mine and, from a coaching perspective, he did an awesome job. He went back to nationals just to watch the group of guys because he really cares for them. It meant a lot to them that he went. I enjoyed working with him."
NIC officials also confirmed the resignation on Wednesday.
Stanley, who could not be reached for comment, had been on paid administrative leave before he resigned. He was an assistant coach at NIC for eight seasons, a national champion wrestler for the Cardinals in 2003 and national runner-up in 2002.
Stanley and his wife, Kelsey, NIC's volleyball coach, have three children, so that may also have played a role in the resignation decision, Richardson said.
Meanwhile, NIC is accepting applications for the head wrestling coach position through March 15. Richardson said NIC's decision to conduct a search was not a surprise to him.
"I figured they'd do a nationwide search, especially after it was announced that Pat was gone," Richardson said.
Richardson said he's interested in the job, but hasn't decided if he'll apply.
"Right now I'm taking a breather now that nationals is over," he said. "I'll sit down with my wife and the team to talk about it. Most of the redshirts on the team are guys who I got to recruit. I think that it would be an amazing opportunity. I definitely got my feet wet on the ins and outs of the program. I got the trial-by-fire version, so I'd be comfortable in the position as far as responsibilities."
Richardson, a Lakeland High graduate, was an NCAA qualifier and a four-year wrestling starter at the University of Wyoming. This was Richardson's second year as an NIC assistant and it's his first full-time coaching job.
Whitcomb led NIC for 22 seasons and won four national titles as head coach.
He was honored as National Coach of the Year twice and Region 18 Coach of the Year eight times. Whitcomb is a member of the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame and NIC Hall of Fame. As an athlete, Whitcomb won national titles for NIC in 1986 and 1987.
In a written response after his firing, Whitcomb denied any knowledge of academic integrity violations prior to last fall's investigation.
"I refused to resign, as I had done nothing wrong," Whitcomb wrote.
Whitcomb wrote that he believes the real reasons for his termination were concerns he expressed over the lack of practice room access improvements for double-amputee wrestler Hasaan Hawthorne. Whitcomb wrote that he also raised concerns about an alleged assault of a female instructor last fall and that baseball would replace wrestling as a sport at NIC.
"I have issues with how administrators have handled things going on down there, and that's why I'm no longer there," Whitcomb told The Press earlier.
However, Laura Rumpler, NIC's chief communications and government relations officer, earlier said that a review of the alleged assault revealed the case was actually not an assault and that the instructor chose not to respond to requests from investigators.
Rumpler said she couldn't provide additional details as to why Whitcomb was fired, citing a personnel matter. She said employees have greater flexibility to make disclosures about their own public employment than do public agencies.
NIC officials have said the college has no plans to discontinue the wrestling program and that it is conducting a study on expanding its athletic offerings. The results of the study will be presented to the board this spring.
They also said NIC takes requests for Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations seriously, but due to federal privacy laws pertaining to students, it can't comment on specific requests.
Officials have been discussing the viability of a new gymnasium, classrooms and athletic training space to replace Christianson Gymnasium, which was built in 1949 and needs ADA upgrades.