This blog rarely agrees with Pat Griffin, a rather strident proponent of the sports-and-gender culture wars. But she sums up very well the cowardice of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis officials for firing women’s basketball coach Shann Hart without cause so they don’t have to explain what the hell’s been going on:

“An important object lesson is lost because IUPUI is not making the results of their investigation and the cause for Hart’s dismissal public and because Hart will still get her salary, which is quite a lot of money. Outrageous behavior by coaches, both men and women, has been tolerated in college and high school athletics for far too long. Psychological and physical abuse of athletes by coaches who lead with fear and intimidation is not acceptable in any context, especially one that is affiliated with an educational institution. We need schools to stand up and be specific about reasons for dismissal when questions of abusive and discriminatory behavior are involved rather than leave the reasons for a coach’s dismissal unknown.”

Hart, by the way, gets a $300,000 departing gift for alleged misdeeds that may never be properly made public to the taxpayers footing the bill.

IUPUI’s president justifies the whole thing, saying that it was better to pay her now rather than pony up a whole lot more later on.