Air Force Academy hires outside firm to review athletic department

After hazing incidents were uncovered in two different sports teams at the Air Force Academy, the military school is hiring an independent firm to review its athletic programs.

The Academy enlisted the help of Collegiate Sports Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to reviewing NCAA Division I programs.

It comes after two swimmers were criminally charged for their roles in a hazing incident in 2017. Eleven swimmers were ultimately removed from the team because of that incident. The Lacrosse team also made headlines and kicked off players for hazing that same year.

The Academy wouldn’t speak on camera, but issued this statement to KRDO NewsChannel 13:

“Last spring we announced that we were seeking out a third-party and recently hired Collegiate Sports Associates to assess our culture and climate in the Athletic Department. The company visited the Academy last week and during the review process they will speak to coaches and staff; current and former athletes; team captains and our Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) Committee members — roughly 250 people in all. We’re keenly aware that large organizations can suffer from institutional blind-spots or biases and by bringing in a third-party we seek to ensure we don’t. We are eagerly awaiting their report because we are committed to not only holding people accountable, but we want to prevent issues in the future.”

Collegiate Sports Associates declined giving an interview or issuing a statement.

There is no word on when the review will be complete.