IU men’s tennis coach Randy Bloemendaal has been dismissed, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced Friday.
Bloemendaal’s dismissal stems from Secondary/Level III violations of NCAA rules and breaching policies set by the Athletics department.
Five members of the team raised concerns about the program in a Nov. 7 meeting, according to an IU release. A series of meetings with various members of compliance staff and Athletics officials led to Bloemendaal being placed on involuntary leave with pay on Nov. 12.
The results of an internal investigation were presented to Glass and other Athletics staff Thursday, and Bloemendaal was dismissed Friday.
“The investigation concluded that Coach Bloemendaal was responsible for Secondary/Level III violations relating to Voluntary Athletically Related Activities, Summer Workout Sessions, and Required Time off,” the release reads.
NCAA bylaw 17.1.6.1 limits student-athletes to 20 hours per week of athletic-related activities. Bylaw 17.02.13 states that voluntary athletic-related activities must be at the discretion of the student-athlete, with no requirement to report back to a coach or staff member.
The investigation also found that Bloemendaal had attempted to prevent his players from reporting potential NCAA violations and did not “defer to the judgment of the medical staff regarding student-athletes’ ability to participate in athletic activity.”
Glass said that the violations alone would not have been enough to dismiss Bloemendaal, but the other infractions were.
“While the Secondary/Level III NCAA violations in this matter are certainly concerning, by themselves they would not have led me to dismiss Coach Bloemendaal,” Glass said.
“I dismissed Coach Bloemendaal because the investigation’s conclusions that he attempted to interfere with student-athletes reporting potential NCAA violations and that he did not appropriately defer to the judgment of the medical staff are completely contrary to the clear and repeatedly expressed expectations and values of me, this department, and Indiana University,” he said.
Bloemendaal’s dismissal was effective Friday, and the search for a new men’s tennis coach will begin immediately. Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Gray will oversee the program and lead the search for a new head coach.
Alden Woods
