Clemson settlement details with men's track, female athletes released

Clemson agreed to a number of measures in its settlements.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Friday, April 23 2021

Clemson announced on Thursday that it will continue to sponsor men's track and cross country teams in a reversal of a 2020 decision to eliminate the programs.

Along with the announcement, the school outlined promises to add "one or more" women's varsity sports, as well as implement a Gender Equity Plan to be completed no later than July 1, 2022.

Those were a part of a settlement ahead of facing potential lawsuits from the Clemson men's track team and Clemson female athletes over potential Title IX violations.

The school agreed to pay out $271,720 in legal fees combined to the parties in the settlement and to implement a series of measures.

In the settlement with the Clemson women's athletes, they agreed to the following:

-The women's rowing team members will be permitted to keep their warmups and gear this year and moving forward;

-Clemson will ensure equitable provision of nutrition and dining options, including offering the women's rowing team meal options both semesters and providing dinner and breakfast options on all days to a comparable number of women and men. Meal options will be expanded in 2021-22 in consultation with nutritionists, strength & conditioning staff, coaches, and student-athletes.

-Clemson will ensure equitable provision of equipment and supplies, including but not limited to warm up gear, team attire, base layer apparel and performance undergarments, and training and competition shoes.

-Clemson will allocate these resources in equitable amounts to the women's and men's teams. Additional orders will be placed as needed in 2021-22. Clemson will also assess its equipment ordering process with Nike.

-Movie nights will be scheduled for women's track & field and cross country, for women's rowing and other female student athletes.

-Clemson will ensure equitable provision of medical and athletic training services and equipment in conjunction with its Sports Medicine staff. NormaTec rehabilitation boots will provided equitably to male and female student-athletes and additional orders will be placed in 2021-22;

-In conjunction with its Sports Medicine staff, Clemson will provide access to the pool in the football facility for rehab and training as needed for all female student-athletes.

-Clemson will provide flights to away games equitably for men's and women's teams.

-Clemson will provide high-quality travel uniforms and/or fitted suits equitably ( matching team sizes and student-athletes as closely as possible while maintaining the same benefits for all members of a single team) for men's and women's teams;

-Clemson will offer lodging in hotels before home games equitably (matching team sizes and student-athletes as closely as possible while maintaining the same benefits for all members of a single team) for men's and women's teams.

-Clemson will provide nameplates for all student-athletes' lockers, including incoming first-year students; and

-Clemson will provide individual lockers for all student-athletes.

Among the agreements in the settlement with men's track and cross country were to provide resources at a comparable level or higher than before the school announced the program's elimination, for all current athletic scholarships to be honored at their present level or higher and to still have access to sports medicine, academic support, career development, nutrition, priority class registration, mental health services and strength and conditioning facilities as long as they are athletes at Clemson.

The school also agreed to provide an annual report on its website of its undergraduate enrollment rates and numbers for males and females, its Title IX intercollegiate athletic participation numbers (total and by team, for males and females), and its Title IX athletic financial aid numbers for males and females.