DEVELOPING: Iowa Football Releases Findings of Independent Review

The University of Iowa released the 28-page report from Kansas City law firm Husch Blackwell this morning, detailing its investigation of alleged racial biases and discrimination within the Iowa football program.

Gary Barta and Kirk Ferentz will address the media this afternoon at 1pm CT.

Following Husch Blackwell’s interviews with 111 individuals, including 45 current and 29 former players, the report does not recommend the firing of athletic director Gary Barta or head coach Kirk Ferentz. Rather, it recommends the two work to implement other changes to the culture of the program. That’s in large part due to the feedback received from players on coach Ferentz.

While many players shared criticisms about the program generally or their personal experiences with certain coaches, most players commented positively about Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and his leadership of the program. Numerous players also praised their position coaches and described the beneficial impact those coaches have had on both their athletic and personal development. Players of all races also described forming good relationships with their teammates.

Perhaps most importantly, the report indicates the players believe changes already implemented by the staff are having a positive impact on the culture.

Finally, the current players were uniform in their belief that the environment in the football program has improved significantly since the inception of this review — both in a general sense and through specific attempts to address or prevent racial inequities. The players expressed hopefulness that these improvements will continue and result in sustained action that will improve the program.

The reports goes on to detail the background for the review, a look at “The Iowa Way” and a dive on a number of the examples that have come to light where former players have expressed concerns over the culture and treatment of Black players.

Following the release of the summary findings, coach Kirk Ferentz released a statement apologizing for the “pain and frustration” felt by his players, citing the release of the findings as a “moment of truth” for him.

12:00p update: Here is an embed of the presser:

You can read the entirety of the report here. You can catch up on some of the conversations on Iowa’s culture issues from past weeks here.

Note: This story will continue to be updated throughout the day.