Penn Lacrosse Coach Disputes Bar-Busting Allegations

Inside Lacrosse has printed a letter from Penn Lacrosse coach Karin Brower Corbett, disputing allegations her players had trashed Fado and left a 4 percent tip on a $1,300 tab. 

The letter:

I wanted to write to you regarding recent publicity involving our current team and a social event held at a bar in Philadelphia last weekend. The bar’s manager sent an email containing some very serious allegations of both misconduct and illegal actions, attributing these to our team. This message was sent to the University President, to our Athletic Director, and to me, as well as to two media outlets.

Please know that I take any allegations of wrongdoing involving my players very seriously, and we have been investigating the incident. In the past 24 hours, we have received more information from the bar manager about what happened, and we want you to know that many of the allegations are unfounded or are not attributable to members of the Penn Women’s Lacrosse Team.

We do not condone any of the kind of misconduct that was alleged. We hold ourselves to high standards of professionalism, and are deeply disappointed by our players’ poor judgment in holding this event. This has been an important learning moment for our team. I have spent 15 years building a program with strong core values and a reputation for integrity. This week has been a wake-up call for all of us.

My recruiting philosophy has always been to find young women who are excellent athletes, students, and human beings to play Penn Lacrosse. I remain confident in and committed to my team. My players are wonderful young women, who have learned a lot this past week. And part of my job now, as their head coach, is to teach them, to support them, to affirm the values of our program, and to maximize this learning opportunity.

I am thankful for the support that so many have offered during this difficult week. While I am not able to address specific details of this incident, if you have any questions about Penn Lacrosse, our values, my coaching and philosophy, you know you are welcome to call me.

Sincerely,

Karin Brower Corbett

Lacrosse Magazine reports: “Penn opened the game against Northwestern with its three active captains Tory Bensen, Allie Martin and Lindsey Smith on the bench for the first 10 minutes.” Penn won, 7-2.