Northwestern introduced Wednesday that athletic director Mike Polisky is resigning after simply 10 days on the job amid controversy surrounding his promotion from his prior publish as deputy athletic director for exterior affairs. Detractors have criticized the hiring of Polisky as he’s amongst 4 defendants in a lawsuit filed in opposition to the college in January by a former Northwestern cheerleader.

The lawsuit alleges that “cheerleaders had been being offered as intercourse objects to titillate the boys that funded the vast majority of Northwestern’s athletics packages,” in response to the Chicago Tribune. Although a gaggle of alumni, donors and Northwestern athletes wrote a letter to the Northwestern Board of Trustees supporting Polisky on Wednesday, it wasn’t sufficient to salvage the state of affairs.

“Over the past 10 days, it has grow to be clear to me that the present challenges won’t permit me to successfully lead our division, particularly throughout these unsettling instances in school athletics,” Polisky mentioned. “My love and respect for Northwestern and for our student-athletes, coaches and workers, is bigger than my very own need to guide the division. I don’t need to be a distraction to our unbelievable women and men as they pursue a collective aim – to assist our student-athletes grow to be one of the best they are often. Whereas my household and I are disenchanted, I transfer ahead realizing that is the proper determination.”

Northwestern president Morty Schapiro beforehand defended the hiring of Polisky, who’s alleged to have been dismissive of the previous cheerleader’s harassment claims. On Wednesday, Schapiro mentioned, “I perceive and respect his determination.”

Schapiro named Northwestern professor Robert Gundlach because the interim athletic director after he served within the interim position beforehand throughout 2008.