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.”
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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 aimed to improve reporting procedures and to create an environment where people can share concerns “without fear of retribution and reprisal” as well as to provide players clear instructions on how to access mental health support.
The story by The Athletic in March detailed a culture in which players were routinely pitted against each other, subjected to hazing and initiation rituals that involved forced alcohol consumption and sexualized skits and traditions, including an annual event that dates back decades called “naked skate.” In some of those years, freshmen were told to do a “Superman” slide on the ice that left some with ice burns and bleeding nipples. The most recent “naked skate” occurred the day following the publication of a story by The Boston Globe on the team’s culture. After one player became upset about the event, Stone and her staff met with the team and told them it was an unsanctioned activity.
Additional allegations against the program included Stone being accused of downplaying injuries and mental health issues, leading derogatory chants directed at players and creating a climate where players were pitted against each other to curry favor with her. One parent of a player from a recent season, in describing how she perceived Stone ran the program, said it was “a mental-health Hunger Games.”
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“Our current women’s ice hockey team has not fostered a culture of hazing,” McDermott wrote in Wednesday’s email.
Abra Kinkopf, a former Harvard player, told The Athletic that she’d like to see the full contents of the report disclosed: “We are beyond trusting Harvard leaders to tell us the truth — I’d like to read what was reported.”
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(Photo: Erica Denhoff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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