The Gazette is on it. Hard to tell what's fact or fiction:
Fiore issued a statement disputing the allegations in the espnW story.
“The espnW story by Kate Fagan is absolutely outrageous and rife with falsehoods. It is blatantly defamatory and my legal representatives have issued a cease and desist letter to espnW and any media outlet that has sourced or reprinted this article. The anonymous, ‘kitchen sink’ allegations that have been made against me are absolutely false. I cannot help but think that the motives of the unnamed ‘sources’ serve no purpose other than someone’s obvious financial gain and to hurt me personally and professionally. I will vigorously fight these bogus claims and defend my reputation.”
Stony Brook never provided a reason for Fiore’s dismissal. Its response to the espnW story was part of a
New York Daily News story on Nov. 28, 2013 that includes the following passage:
“Stony Brook issued a statement in response to the allegations in the story saying it ‘takes all claims of discrimination and sexual harassment seriously’ but that because the claims ‘do not identify the sources of those allegations or the documents relied upon, the University and the public cannot reliably assess (their) truthfulness.’ It adds this: ‘What we can tell you is that the University received a single complaint concerning the athletic department from one university employee. We took this complaint very seriously and acted promptly to understand and respond to the issues raised.’ It refers to a 2012 sexual harassment complaint against Fiore that was investigated by the school and the State Department of Labor. These resulted in neither charges nor discipline.”
Fiore, who is the president and CEO of Dynamic Sports Management, a sporting event and marketing company on Long Island, New York, could not be reached for comment.
Regardless of where the facts lie, it's hard to believe he's even a candidate. Considering women's sports (softball, field hockey, lax, rowing) have been by far the most successful UMass programs over the past 15 years in Amherst -- where progressive politics rule the day -- I'm stunned they're bringing that guy in for a look-see.
