By Nick Romeo — Content Editor
In a surprising turn of events, San Jose State Athletic Director Marie Tuite announced she will be stepping down from her position effective immediately. The announcement was made in an email sent to students Friday morning.
Tuite will not be leaving SJSU as she will be assuming a “special director of external communications and capital project development role” going forward for the athletic department. Her primary responsibility will be fundraising for the department.
According to the email, Tuite was quoted saying, “I love San Jose State University and I am committed to its mission. My new role allows me to continue this important work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so,” stated Ms. Tuite.
Tuite’s tenure has taken a dark turn the last couple of years as scandals and lawsuits have plagued the athletic department.
Her handling of the Scott Shaw scandal and accusations of covering up other issues within athletics have shrouded her legacy as a Spartan.
In response to the Shaw allegations, Tuite was quoted in the email saying, “As a leader, I am deeply sorry our student-athletes were impacted by Scott Shaw. I will continue to fully cooperate with any and all investigations. My key objective here is to let our community heal.”
Also ongoing is the lawsuit from longtime softball coach of 14 years, Peter Turner who is suing the school for wrongful termination following his surprise firing.
Even though she is responsible for the progress and development of South Campus, she will be defined by the black marks of lawsuits and cover-ups that happened under her leadership.
Tuite was promoted to athletic director in 2017. According to her bio on SJSU Athletics at the time of this writing, she worked for seven years in university service in several executive athletics administration positions before her promotion.
This is a developing story.
Follow Nick on Twitter @nromeo12
