Fordham University Rescinds Joe Bernal’s Hall of Fame Status After Ban

Former head coach Joe Bernal has seen his Hall of Fame honors at Fordham University rescinded after he was added to USA Swimming’s permanent ban list earlier this week.

Bernal coached at Fordham from 1966 to 1978, beginning a lengthy coaching career that would eventually lead him to Harvard as well as his own club, Bernal’s Gators Swim Club.

He was inducted into the Fordham Hall of Fame in 2009. But the school’s newspaper, The Fordham Ram, reports that Fordham has rescinded his honors this week after Bernal was officially banned for life by USA Swimming.

USA Swimming will not comment specifically on the details of the events leading up to the ban other than to list the sections of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct Bernal was banned for. USA Swimming listed three sections dealing with sexual offenses. You can read them in full here.

Bernal has unavailable for comment on the matter.

The Fordham Ram reports that a school press release indicted the allegations of sexual misconduct against Bernal happened after he had been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. The school also offered this statement:

“To leave in place Mr. Bernal’s honors would send the wrong message to our current and former student athletes,” said the university. “Though Fordham regrets having to strip Mr. Bernal of his athletics honors, its first responsibility is to the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of the University community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who may have been the target of sexual misconduct.”

Bernal is also a member of the ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) Hall of Fame. The ASCA told SwimSwam this week that it would discuss its policy for banned coaches at its next board meeting in September.

Bernal’s former club has also distanced itself from him. As early as February of this year, the club took Bernal’s name off of the club title, changing it to the “Gator Swim Club.”