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EXCLUSIVE: A letter signed by former Yale ice hockey coach Keith Allain to Yale President Maurine McInnis alleges that current Yale athletic director Victoria Chun created a “toxic environment” for the university’s athletic teams.
In the letter, Allain claimed that other Yale coaches urged him to report Chun to McInnis after he retired.
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Yale coach Keith Allain on the bench during the game against Cornell at Boardwalk Hall. Atlantic City, New Jersey 03/19/2011 (Lou Capozzola/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
“My name is Keith Allain, I have just retired after 19 years as a men’s hockey coach and I am writing to you at the request of several head coaches in our athletic department. They have told me that you are seeking feedback from a few coaches regarding our athletic director’s contract extension and that you are concerned that with the culture of fear that permeates the athletic department, you will not receive candid feedback,” the letter begins.
Allain went on to call Chun “the worst leader” he has ever been around and allege that she prioritized “silencing all dissent.”
“As a Yale alumnus and someone who has great affection for our university and the role of athletics within the greater Yale community, I felt compelled to write to you as my former colleagues have asked me to do so. Vicky Chun is the worst leader I have ever been around in my life. She is dishonest, self-centered, and inaccessible. Vicky’s singular talent is self-promotion and has created a toxic environment within the department where it is isolated by a cadre of administrators whose primary task appears to be to silence all dissent,” the letter continued.
UNIVERSITY HEAD ADMITS SCHOOLS ARE “NOT A POLITICAL PARTY” TO WARN ELITE CAMPUSES
Coach Keith Allain of the Yale Bulldogs stands behind the bench during a game against the Boston University Terriers during NCAA hockey at Agganis Arena on December 13, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 5-2. (Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)
“I know this assessment seems harsh and I am willing to provide details if you would like to know more about my experience and how Vicky’s lack of leadership is affecting my program. For reference, our team’s record before Vicky was 220 wins-144 losses-39 ties, with Vicky 62 wins-110 losses-15 ties. The responsibility for that record falls on me, but we all know that organizational leadership or lack thereof has an impact.”
A source provided the letter to PK Press Club Digital. Allain later confirmed to PK Press Club Digital that he wrote the letter and sent it to McInnis in October, shortly after he retired after 19 years as head of Yale hockey. Allain declined further comment.
PK Press Club Digital has reached out to the president’s office and the Yale athletic department for a response.
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Head coach Keith Allain of the United States during practice before the 2011 IIHF U20 World Championship match between the United States and Finland on December 26, 2010 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Allain, who played ice hockey at Yale from 1976 to 1980, took over as head coach in 2006, leading the program to the NCAA championship in 2013 and seven Ivy League championships during his tenure. He finished his tenure with a record of 282-254-54.
Chun, a former volleyball player and later head coach at Colgate University, took over as Yale’s athletic director in 2018 after serving in the same role at Colgate from 2012-2018.
