Kenyon College
NCAA DIII • NCAC
Date: June 19, 2024
Would Recommend
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Kelly Bryan was the “fall guy” for Kenyon’s flagrant institutional failure that occurred after their findings of the hazing culture of the Kenyon Women’s soccer team. Shame on Kenyon, not on Kelly Bryan. The hazing that occurred on the Kenyon Women’s soccer team was humiliating and destructive and was justified by many of the older team members as “tradition and ritual”, a classic response that explains why hazing continues today. Many of this year’s juniors and seniors were the perfect combination of toxic— manipulative, power hungry and unkind, leaving the younger players vulnerable, impressionable and exposed. The institution of Kenyon failed all of these young women, including Kelly Bryan and her staff. It was Kenyon’s responsibility to hold individuals accountable for their actions; actions that were in direct violation of Kenyon’s code of conduct as stated in their student handbook. Instead, Kenyon hid behind arbitrary team sanctions and Title IX bureaucracy and brazenly handed the smoking gun to Kelly. Kenyon kept Kelly in the dark for far too long, making it nearly impossible for her to successfully navigate the program out of a challenging situation— and making her a sitting duck for entitled, clueless parents. Any individual, parent, player or coach who doesn’t acknowledge the women’s soccer team’s hazing culture is either uninformed or part of the problem. Kelly is a passionate coach. Her biggest mistake was the boundary she held with the players’ happenings off the field, shielding herself from some harsh realities of the team dynamic. The opportunity to build something special for this program lies with the new hire, the individuals who remain on the team, and a recognition that positive change is not only possible but necessary. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better and due to Kenyon’s institutional failure, Kelly Bryan won’t be a part of this opportunity.