Pernetti was key in Rutgers' admission into Big Ten

Tim Pernetti did some good things during his four-year run as the athletic director at Rutgers, with perhaps his crowning achievement being the university's admittance into the Big Ten Conference.

But it was his first major move as the man overseeing the Scarlet Knights' 24 athletic programs that eventually did him in.

On May 3, 2010, Pernetti hired Mike Rice away from Robert Morris, a mid-major program that had come close to upsetting Villanova in the first round of that year's NCAA tournament. He figured Rice's recruiting connections in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey would revitalize the program.

But the decision blew up on Pernetti earlier this week when the world saw a video of Rice shoving players, firing basketballs at them, and yelling antigay slurs. Rice was fired Wednesday and Pernetti resigned Friday in what university president Robert Barchi said was a "mutual decision."

Assistant coach Jimmy Martelli resigned Thursday.

Eric Murdock, who had been the director of player development, said he spoke with Pernetti in June about Rice's alleged abuse. Murdock's contract wasn't renewed in July, and he filed a wrongful termination suit Friday.

Pernetti, 42, a tight end on Rutgers' football team from 1989 through 1992, said leaving his alma mater would be difficult.

"It's a really sad day for a lot of people, including me and my family," Pernetti told reporters Friday during a brief appearance outside his home in Bergen County. "I always have and I always will, no matter what, want what's best for Rutgers."

In his resignation letter, Pernetti wrote: "As you know, my first instincts when I saw the videotape of Coach Rice's behavior was to fire him immediately. However, Rutgers decided to follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals, and outside counsel. Following review of the independent investigative report, the consensus was that university policy would not justify dismissal. I have admitted my role in, and regret for, that decision, and wish that I had the opportunity to go back and override it for the sake of everyone involved."

Rice was suspended for three games and fined $75,000.

Pernetti, who worked in the television programming business before taking the Rutgers job on Feb. 26, 2009, when he replaced Bob Mulcahy, pushed through naming-rights agreements for Rutgers' football stadium and a club inside the facility, worth nearly $1 million combined, shortly after his hiring.

But his biggest accomplishment came Nov. 20, when the Big Ten accepted Rutgers as a member beginning with the 2014-15 academic year. Pernetti's background in television helped him forge a relationship dating back to the late 1990s with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who was impressed by the young athletic director's drive.

"He said, 'Let's keep talking,' " Delany said at the Nov. 20 news conference. "There was no real beginning to the conversation. This is a conversation that played out over three or four years, me keeping him apprised of how we were thinking, and him keeping me apprised of how Rutgers was thinking."

The move to the Big Ten is expected to net Rutgers about an additional $20 million from what it makes in the Big East along with more national exposure, especially in football. The Scarlet Knights will compete in the former Big East, now called the American Athletic Conference, in 2013.

Former Rutgers football players such as Ray Rice, a member of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, and Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed in a game in 2010, were disappointed by Pernetti's resignation.

"Big 10 doesn't happen without Mr. Pernetti," Rice said on Twitter. "He has done a GREAT job for RU."

LeGrand, also writing on Twitter, said, "I wouldn't be where I am today with such a bright future if it wasn't for Tim Pernetti. Definitely a sad day for Rutgers but Tim Pernetti will have my back forever for what he did for me and for Rutgers University."

Delran's Carli Lloyd, who played soccer at Rutgers for four years before capturing two Olympic gold medals, said she will remember Pernetti mostly for his welcoming personality.

"He always had nothing but nice things to say," said Lloyd. "He kept in touch with alumni and pulled everyone together. He was enticing you to want to come back. That's what it's all about."

Pernetti hired Kyle Flood as head football coach in January 2012 after Greg Schiano left with little notice to take over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He gave Flood a five-year contract despite his lack of head coaching experience, and Flood led the Scarlet Knights to a 9-4 record and a postseason bowl in his first season.

Pernetti, who reportedly was in the fourth year of a five-year deal with a base salary of $410,000 a year, was named by Sports Business Journal as one of five finalists for athletic director of the year.

Strictly from a win-loss perspective, Rice didn't pan out the way Pernetti and Rutgers fans would have wanted. The Scarlet Knights went 16-38 in the Big East under Rice, and 44-51 overall.