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MILWAUKEE -- Marquette University has announced Larry Williams as their new athletic director, and he assumes the position on the heels of two separate sexual assault cases involving student-athletes in about 14 months.
Williams comes to Milwaukee after serving as athletic director at the University of Portland since 2004, and there is hope he will "right the ship," following months of not-so-good publicity regarding the behavior of some student athletes. While the student-athletes in both sexual assault cases were not charged, the way Marquette handled the cases has garnered the attention of the U.S. Department of Education.
"Today and every day, going forward, we're going to be about integrity and excellence in academics, athletics and socially. That's going to be at the forefront of what we do," Williams said.
Marquette has implemented programming this fall aimed at making student-athletes more aware of sexual assault and its dangers, and its prevalence on college campuses. Williams says he intends to uphold the policies set forth by the university and ensure that the student-athletes are a good representation of the university. "I feel much confidence in the policies that Father Pilarz has put in place, and we will absolutely adhere to those. They will help make sure that we are staying true to the development of the student-athlete," Williams said.
Williams is a 1985 graduate of Notre Dame University and will now lead Marquette's 12 sports.