Tag: WBND-LD

Former Notre Dame swimming coach sues for gender discrimination

A former swimming coach is suing over how she was treated after informing the university of her pregnancy.

Notre Dame is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by a former swimming coach. April Jensen, once an associate coach with the program, is suing for gender and pregnancy discrimination along with retaliation. She will look to collect damages and equitable relief.

Jensen said that in May 2019, she informed her supervisor of her pregnancy, then returned to her post that fall visibly pregnant. She alleges that she then was subject to one injustice, discrimination and humiliation after another, both before and after she went on maternity leave. Eventually, she was informed over a Zoom call with her supervisor and the assistant athletic director that her contract was being terminated. The suit says that she was let go over the previous years and not her coaching or relationships with student-athletes.

When WBND-LD, South Bend’s ABC affiliate, reached out to Notre Dame for a response, the university said, “Because this is pending litigation, we have no comment.”

Watch: Notre Dame athletics during the year of COVID-19

It didn’t seem likely when it all started, but we’ve officially reached one year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

It didn’t seem likely when it all started, but we’ve officially reached one year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. The way we lived our lives completely evaporated in a flash, including sports. But slowly, sports began to come back, including Notre Dame athletics. The happenings of the university’s major athletic programs have been recapped by Allison Hayes of WBND-LD, South Bend’s ABC affiliate.

Many times, there were doubts if any program could complete its full season. So far, no program has been forced to come to a halt, even if there have been bumps in the road. The credit goes to the student-athletes and coaches for keeping themselves as safe as possible so that these outcomes could happen.

Although the effects of this virus have been devastating, real hope is shining through. The number of vaccines administered is going up, which is helping the number of virus cases going down. It’s becoming more likely we’ll have at least some normalcy by summer, which would mean a lot more people allowed inside Notre Dame Stadium once football begins. However, we’re not there yet, so to make sure the game days of old return sooner rather than later, continue to be vigilant about your behavior as we enter what’s looking like the homestretch of the pandemic.

Local News Reports on Notre Dame’s Potential 2020 Schedule Problems

Notre Dame’s trouble putting together a 2020 schedule with the Big Ten and Pac-12 going conference-only has been highlighted a lot lately.

Notre Dame’s trouble putting together a 2020 schedule with the Big Ten and Pac-12 going conference-only has been highlighted a lot lately. Gone are the annual meetings with USC and Stanford. The much-anticipated game against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field also is history. This and other related issues were discussed on a Tuesday newscast for WBND-LD, South Bend’s ABC affiliate.

We also know by now that the ACC appears willing to help the Irish fill the gaps in their schedule. What no one knows is if the 2020 college football season will start on time, be canceled or even move to the spring. Still, we’re a month-and-a-half away from the scheduled kickoff, so if the ACC indeed is going to lend a hand, it better do so quickly.

While Notre Dame’s 2020 schedule won’t look as sexy as it did a week ago, conventional wisdom dictates that nothing for the rest of the year will look ordinary. These times are strange, and everything has to be strange with it. So with that being the case, simply playing a season would be an accomplishment. You almost have to throw preseason predictions out the window because who knows how many key players can remain healthy in this environment?