By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The same Kansas City law firm that recently investigated a social media post from 2013 in which Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley used racial language is now believed to be near the end of its investigation of racial disparities within the Iowa football program.

And while each case is different, and that is especially true when comparing the situations at Utah and Iowa, the penalties from the Utah case show that the Kansas City-based Husch-Blackwell law firm isn’t likely to go soft if there is enough evidence to support an accusation.

It’s hard to dispute the evidence in the Utah case because it’s right there in writing, a racial slur used in a text message by an assistant coach.

The law firm’s findings did not lead to Scalley’s termination, but he will pay a heavy price, both in terms of salary and coaching future.

Scalley had been Utah’s head coach in waiting and had agreed verbally in December to a boost in salary to $1.1 million.

But his head-coach-in-waiting tag has since been rescinded, and his salary has been lowered to $525,000 after his contract was reverted back to 2018 terms.

That hardly seems like going soft, or caving to the interest of a school, or to a Power 5 program.

Scalley’s sympathizers would argue that it was just one text message from seven years ago, and that he has the support of the current Utah players, and that it was an isolated incident that isn’t reflective of his character.

That might all be true, but it still doesn’t excuse or dismiss what Scalley did.

In writing.

He should be grateful that he still has a job that pays him more than a half million a year, and hopefully, it was out of character for Scalley to use a racial slur.

Most of the student-athletes interviewed at Utah described a positive relationship with Scalley, and many expressed shock when they learned of the accusation.

However, two former student-athletes told investigators that Scalley used the word “black ass” when addressing a player in a 2013 practice.

Scalley denied the accusation.

Another former Utah player alleged that prior to 2013, Scalley used the “n-word” toward him at practice.

Three other players said they were informed of the incident, but hadn’t witnessed it first-hand.

Assuming all these accusations are true, that would suggest a pattern more than an isolated incident with the text message.

So perhaps the law firm took that into account when making its recommendations.

The investigation at Utah also confirmed that head coach Kyle Willingham didn’t know about the text message until it was made public in early June.

The situation at Iowa, meanwhile, is different for several reasons, including the fact that the person at the center of the accusations, former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, already has moved on after having reached a $1.3 million separation agreement.

Multiple players have accused Doyle of racial disparities and bullying, and he has since paid a steep price.

Iowa basically paid him $1.3 million to just go away.

In less than two weeks in June, Doyle went from being the highest paid strength and conditioning coach in college football to being unemployed, his legacy forever tarnished.

Doyle went from being Kirk Ferentz’s right-hand man, and the unquestioned ruler of the Iowa weight room, to now a dubious footnote in the history of Iowa football.

That is very sad and disappointing, but UI officials really had no other choice, because to have kept Doyle on staff, would have been recruiting suicide and a public relations nightmare.

There is nothing in writing that shows that Doyle, or any Iowa coach or staff member, ever used a racial slur. And that’s significant.

But there are so many accusations against Doyle by multiple former black players that you can’t help but believe the players.

Because why would they all lie?

Former Iowa center James Daniels helped pave the way to the investigation on Twitter by accusing the Iowa program in early June of racial disparities.

It was the tweet that changed everything.

And while a few have maybe tried to hijack the message for personal gain, that hardly describes Daniels.

Why would Daniels lie about a topic so sensitive and important?

He certainly doesn’t need money or recognition as a starting offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears.

He also was selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft as a junior, and has since graduated from Iowa.

Daniels has so much to be happy and proud about, and yet, he still felt compelled to share his feelings on social media.

It seems that Daniels tried to warn UI athletic officials that trouble was brewing – he even had a sit-down meeting with Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta last spring – but Daniels apparently wasn’t taken serious enough until it was too late.

The Diversity Task Force report that was released in 2019 was filled with multiple examples of accusations of racial disparities and double-standards against black student-athletes.

Kirk Ferentz then made some concessions, including allowing his players to wear earrings and hoodies.

But it wasn’t enough, and now Ferentz, who will turn 65 on Aug. 1, is facing his biggest challenge as a head coach because this controversy goes so far beyond football.

The fact that his son, Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, is also a key piece to the investigation just adds another layer of drama and concern.

Kirk Ferentz told the media at a recent press conference that he had recently been interviewed as part of the investigation, and that over 100 interviews had been conducted overall.

The investigation is expected to be finished before the end of July, so this coming week could get interesting.

The results, and the fallout, from this investigation will be the next step in moving forward for the Iowa football program.

It’s just uncertain under which circumstances the players and coaches will move forward.