A group of student athletes on the Robert Morris University men's and women's hockey teams have hired a law firm following the school's announcement of plans to discontinue the hockey programs.
Attorney Jeffrey Kessler of the law firm of Winston & Strawn has been hired to represent the students.
Kessler wrote a letter to Robert Morris president Dr. Chris Howard, accusing the school of concealing until the last minute plans to end the hockey programs to not only the students, but also members the board of trustees stating "It appears that the University surreptitiously planned to cancel these programs for an extended period of time before revealing this plan to either the adversely impacted athletes or even all members of the Board of Trustees."
The letter went on to state "Indeed, the University actively recruited and admitted hockey freshmen and freshwomen, as well as transfers, over the past year without so much as a hint that the University was planning
to eliminate the teams for which they were recruited to play."
The firm accused the school of fraudulent misrepresentation under Pennsylvania law and said the University could face "liability if it violated its own bylaws by failing to conduct a Board of Trustees vote on the future of the hockey programs."
Despite the accusations in the letter, the law firm said the students which it represents do not wish to go to court, but rather to play hockey for RMU's varsity teams and seek to meet with University leadership to develop a plan that would allow the continuation of the programs.
In late-May, Howard announced the school's plan to drop men's and women's hockey, which the University explained at the time as a cost-saving move.
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“We are saddened for the student-athletes who will be unable to continue in their sport at Robert Morris University and are committed to assisting them during this difficult time.” said RMU President Chris Howard in a statement the day of the announcement on May 26. “However, this is the best course of action to leverage our strategic assets and position us for future growth.”
Despite public outcry following announcement, Howard said there were no plans to bring the programs back.
Kessler is the same attorney who represented Tom Brady in 'Delfategate,' the U.S. Women's Soccer team in their fight for equal pay, and he also played a role in the recent Supreme Court decision over NCAA rules.
Robert Morris acknowledged receiving the law firm's letter and told NewsRadio KDKA in an email statement, "We have received the letter, and it is under review."
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