Regents may consider policy for college athletes who get in trouble

The president of the board that governs the three state universities says that board may institute a policy that’ll kick in when student athletes get in trouble with the law. “I don’t think anyone was comfortable in the first Pierre Pierce situation because it happened again, allegedly,” says Michael Gartner, president of the Board of Regents. “I’m satisfied that the presidents of the universities, the athletic directors and the coaches are distraught when something like this happens.” Pierre Pierce is the former University of Iowa basketball player who’s accused of assaulting a former girlfriend at her West Des Moines home. Iowa State University defensive end Jason Berryman is out of jail after serving time for a robbery and assault, and asking to get back on the Cyclone football team. That decision is expected this week. “I am convinced that it’s no question a black mark on a university when an athlete, because athletes are more visible than English majors…gets in trouble and I am convinced that everyone is doing everything possible to stop it,” Gartner says. He says the Board of Regents will “ultimately” devise a uniform policy for the conduct of student athletes, and how to deal with them when they get in trouble, but Gartner has no timetable for implementing that new policy. “There’s always been issues of students who do stupid things, some things being criminal and some things just being stupid,” he says. Gartner, a former newspaper and broadcast executive, says the media should “expose” the incidents when they occur in order “to force public opinion to demand that something be done.” Gartner made his comments on Iowa Public Television.