In addition to the 19 suspensions announced last week, the University of Delaware says that several other members of the swimming & diving program have been removed from the program after a party in violation of social-distancing regulations.
First reported by the UD Review, a spokesperson for the school’s athletics department confirmed to SwimSwam on Monday that 3 additional student-athletes were removed from the program, and 5 others are currently in the University Student Conduct appeals process.
Those other 5 student-athletes are appealing suspensions handed by the University Student Conduct Board, not the athletics department, and after those decisions are made final, then athletics suspensions would be determined for those 5 student-athletes.
The university told students in September that those alleged to be hosting an “unlawful gathering” by the City of Newark ordinances would be placed on emergency suspension and being banned from campus until the issue is resolved.
Punishments for those attending unlawful gatherings were announced as deferred suspension, suspension, or expulsion, “as circumstances dictate.”
In total, that means that 27 members of the program have been impacted after attending what the school is calling “a large indoor social gathering hosted on September 26, 2020 at an off campus residence.”
Delaware suspended 19 swimmers & divers from all athletics related activities for varying lengths of time from 6 weeks up until the end of the fall semester.
According to the UD Review, one of the cut athletes was the hosted of the party, while others “had previous incidents with the Office of Student Conduct the year prior.” They cited an unnamed student-athlete that they spoke with.
The school says that none of the swimmers in question tested positive and that all were quarantined. The school, by policy, does not disclose identities of anybody who tests positive.
The week after that social gathering, however, Delaware did see its highest weekly count of positive cases among students and employees with 80. Those numbers fell sharply last week, however, to just 27 new cases.
Many universities across the country have suspended students and athletes for similar offenses during the fall semester. That same weekend, for example, another Division I program, the University of Denver, suspended 38 members of the swimming & diving program for a similar offense, though people around that program claim that the gathering in Denver was outdoors.
Delaware welcomed its swimmers & divers back to campus for voluntary conditioning workouts on June 10th. Last season, the Delaware women finished 5th out of 7 teams at the CAA Championships, while the Delaware men finished 5th out of 5 teams. The school has not released a swimming & diving schedule nor any specific plans for their path forward in winter season athletics like swimming & diving, though their football team is not playing this fall.
The CAA has adopted what it calls an “extreme flexibility model” for Olympic sports scheduling for 2020-2021, under which each CAA institution has committed to play at least the minimum number of contests per sport to meet NCAA sport sponsorship requirements. Each school also has the option of schedule additional games, up to the NCAA maximum, if they so choose.
That’s why they usually have the evidence in hand when they take harsh action. That September 17 letter makes it very clear what the consequences would be, plus the Newark, Delaware ordinance calls for no gatherings of 20 or more. Very, very doubtful that the terms spelled out in that letter weren’t violated. Not one of the commenters here has said there wasn’t a party after September 17.
You’re confusing the university rules with athletic department rules the letter clearly spells out the University rules which they were punished for also. No one has produced the athletic departments guidelines.
I wish y’all would be more clever with your usernames. Are you overbearing mom Anonymous? The coaches are responsible for my mental health Anonymous? The everything is fine Anonymous? I’m guessing not the latter…
I’m the anonymous parent who let their kid handle their recruiting on their own and I’m definitely scratching my head wondering what the heck he walked in to. To your point, I had no idea about the allegations from last year until recently because I’m not overbearing.
I’m also not unreasonable-if these allegations are false I’ll accept it. I’ve yet to see much that denies it. The University and athletic department owe these kids a physically and mentally safe environment. Does this read like it is one?
Did your son/daughter go on a recruiting visit? I would imagine the current athletes either took them to parties or shared the party scene info with them. A quick google search before they committed and you would know that UD is one of the top party schools in the country and if you ask around you will find swimmers who are willing to share their stories and then you would know why the UD swim team is referred to as a “dumpster fire”… Unfortunately the coaches are in over their heads.
Are you actually suggesting that RAPE allegations and a sexual predator as a team mate are acceptable because it is a party school? One should not have to ask around about that.
Yikes! Never heard about that one. I was speaking of the binge drinking.
I’m guessing the teammate that told on them is feeling pretty smug right now…Way to blow up an entire program.
Or, I don’t know, stop the spread of a lethal virus? Honor the pledge they all took? This ain’t high school, buddy. Put on your big boy pants.
27 people who spend time training together every single day and are all Covid negative aren’t going to pass it on to anyone. That’s why they all tested negative afterwards as well.
This is a much better model than all 27 of them hanging out with somebody outside of the team who potentially could give them the virus.
If each of the 27 had hung out individually in groups of 10 with non Swim/Dive students that would be introducing nine new people for each person almost 250 new exposures.
We both agree that they broke a rule however maybe that rule should be evaluated and common sense applied as to who is safe to be around.
Lethal virus? How many healthy college age Student Athletes have died from Covid-19??? The evidence suggests either 1 or zero depending upon one’s interpretation of pre-existing conditions.
210,000 people in the U.S. beg to differ. It’s not the kids who die, it’s the people they spread it to. Seriously, what rock do live under?
And you know this as fact or supposition?
I get that there are rules and they broke them. The consequence is bogus. Community service would have been a better option.
Last thing any college kid needs right now is to be removed from their team for something like this. Any club coach who has college swimmers on their team will likely agree. The college kids on our team who are training on our club team, due to their college being shut down, are having an extremely difficult time right now with isolation. Add rejection onto isolation and you got a real bad mix.
No one really knows how to best deal with this Covid right now. But this is definitely not the best way to move forward.
Pretty obvious the athletes’ well-being is not something the coach or the university care about. Different punishments were given to different students because this is a self serving coach. Wake up UD administrators—- he is making you all look bad.
With all this bickering I must intervene. Reject modernity. Revert to monkey
The actual hosts of this party were not cut. Several swimmers had the exact same previous records as the kids who were cut, but they got lighter punishments. Favoritism much?
You’re right they didn’t get cut. One quit and the other is still pending.
As another past member of this swim team, I can confidently say that the coaching staff, & the AD’s favoritism towards said coaching staff, has completely ruined this program. Pablo Marmolejo has not coached this team for more than 2 seasons, yet he has already caused such an uproar in the swimming community. 4 swimmers out of the others suspended were hand picked to be cut from this team, with no further explanation than the party. What about the other swimmers at the party, how come they were given lighter consequences? Was it because of scholarship money that he needs to keep the program? Pablo has run this team into the ground due to his lack of empathy & sincerity… Read more »
3* cut
Covid was just an excuse to hand pick the scholarships he wanted back. Many swimmers had the same previous records beforehand, but weren’t cut. I’d like an explanation for that.
It is extremely unreasonable and unfair to blame a coach, that has done absolutely nothing but try to instill a positive work environment, for the actions and consequences of athletes on the team. He has tried relentlessly for years to transform a program that has been, at many times, lost. The program has seen exponential growth since he’s begun. The fact that someone could say these words to Pablo and single handedly make one person responsible for this entire situation is a absolutely ridiculous. Each person took the actions they did knowing the consequences outlined by the university. Pablo did not organize the party. He didn’t go to the party. All he did was try to get the team to… Read more »
Sacrificed his life for the team? If you look objectively at results, yeah in the pool there has been improvement, but this little improvement has come at the cost of the complete mental health of every swimmer on the team and any athlete on it will tell you that. Pablo cares about little other than what you can give him, and I know that D1 athletics is cutthroat but you should not be sacrificing the mental health of all of your swimmers to be finishing last and fifth at conference. In one single semester last year there were three suicide attempts among the freshman class of swimmers. Each swimmer came from a successful club background where they thrived both in… Read more »
Again, it is extremely unreasonable to blame Pablo for the mental health issues individuals on the team experienced. To say that it was due to Pablo that their mental state was “destroyed” is so far from the truth. Division 1 sports, and swimming in particular, put a student athlete through a lot mentally and physically. Each person goes through things differently and sometimes it feels like too much. When the sport is what is stressing someone out it is easy to point to the coach to blame. But you are at that school for that sport. Everything is a choice. Sometimes things get too hard and that means stopping the sport but again, everything is a choice. There is so… Read more »
So much a coach can do for someone’s mental health? I have been personally turned down. Personally shamed. It’s seems we have had different experiences, but I can name at least 6 people who have shared the same as me. I’m glad you have never seen him turn anyone down, as that is what is expected, but many people have not had that experience. Imagine telling people that just because “you’ve never seen it,” that it didn’t happen. It did. Pablo cut 3 from his team unfairly, & everyone knows it. He ignores mental health, & actually seems to punish for it. But I’m glad YOU didn’t share that experience, unfortunately many others did. He is not there to care… Read more »
What did Pablo change after the suicide attempts? How did he address all of those situations? How many of those kids that did attempt are still left on the team? Do you think they are willing to defend Pablo and say that he helped them and didn’t turn them down? How many people quit this team because they didn’t feel Pablo was willing to help regarding mental health? Actually, on the other swim swam article, a past team member said that they quit because they “didn’t feel safe on the team.” How many other teams had several suicide attempts during the first semester, and then continued without changing a single thing? How is the AD okay with that? How are… Read more »
“You are at that school for that sport”. UMMM, NO, they are at that school for an EDUCATION first, and second to do a sport!! And “everything is a choice”…. that’s just a simple and stupid statement.
It seems Pablo has you snowed. Pablo doesn’t care about “his kids” other than caring what they can do for him! He absolutely 100% is NOT trying to make each kid the best version of themselves—- that is laughable!!!! He is kicking kids off the team because of a party, because he wants their scholarship money back to give to the next recruit that is faster than the swimmers he currently has, that HE recruited! When he signs a swimmer on, he… Read more »
“He has tried relentlessly for years to transform a program…”. He has worked there for 2 years. 2.
“A coach that has sacrificed his life for this team.” Again, he has worked there for 2 years. This is his first head coaching job, and he is getting paid, he is not “sacrificing his life” nor anything else! Seems this job may be over his head, and he doesn’t have the experience needed to be a successful head coach. He doesn’t understand that he can’t give 19 different punishments to 19 kids that went to the SAME PARTY. And he can’t punish more harshly the kids he doesn’t like, and go easy on the ones he does like!
The complaining, no accountability, pass blame to other programs posts are just ridiculous…
The guy is turning the team around. I’ve witnessed the culture change first hand. Being a part of a division 1 athletics program is a privilege, not a right. It’s possible people are being cut because they aren’t a fit for this program – short and long term. You’re not owed a spot. Earn it.
Look at the very clear results – team (with the same group of kids) dropping time and closing the gap in the conference rankings last year, best recruiting class that’s been brought in (maybe ever), setting and demanding high expectations in the classroom and in the water, and trying to… Read more »
The complaining, no accountability, pass blame to other programs posts are just ridiculous…
The guy is turning the team around. I’ve witnessed the culture change first hand. Being a part of a division 1 athletics program is a privilege, not a right. It’s possible people are being cut because they aren’t a fit for this program – short and long term. You’re not owed a spot. Earn it.
Look at the very clear results – team (with the same group of kids) dropping time and closing the gap in the conference rankings last year, best recruiting class that’s been brought in (maybe ever), setting and demanding high expectations in the classroom and in the water, and trying to offer kids,… Read more »
It doesn’t matter. Delaware is going to cut the swim teams anyway.
Sorry, but this program has been a dumpster fire for years (decades). Obviously the new staff hasn’t been able to turn it around (tough task). Program will be cut shortly.