( CNN ) -- The woman hired to turn around Rutgers University 's troubled athletic program came under renewed fire Tuesday after news emerged she was named in a sex discrimination lawsuit at the University of Louisville , according to court documents obtained Tuesday . The revelation that Julie Hermann was at the center of a discrimination lawsuit while working at the University of Louisville , according to the documents , came just days after a report that a group of University of Tennessee volleyball players accused her of verbal abuse when she coached them in the 1990s . Hermann 's appointment as Rutgers athletic director came more than a month after a video of a Rutgers coach hurling basketballs and yelling homophobic slurs prompted the coach 's firing , the resignation of the school 's athletic director and sharp criticism from New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie . `` It is a new day , '' Hermann told reporters after being appointed . `` ( The problem ) is already fixed , and there is no one that does n't agree about how we treat young people with respect and dignity and build trust . '' The allegations against Hermann have raised questions about whether the Newark , New Jersey , university properly vetted Hermann before hiring her . But Christie told New Jersey 101.5 radio that he spoke with the university 's president and board chairman about the allegations and that he would not second-guess Rutgers ' hiring of Hermann . `` I told them I had questions , and I was going to get answers to those questions , '' he said on the radio station 's weekly `` Ask the Governor '' show on Tuesday . `` I have gotten answers to those questions . '' Rutgers , meanwhile , went on the defensive Tuesday , releasing a list of names and contacts for supporters of Hermann . It also put out a statement that said she was on the `` original list of candidates '' assembled by a search firm for the position . `` Julie also was among the group of candidates considered at each step of the search process from the beginning , '' the statement said . Hermann was named in a 2008 lawsuit filed by Mary Banker , an assistant track and field coach , who alleged she was the victim of sex discrimination by the head coach and then fired after she complained to Hermann and the university 's human resources department , according to documents . Banker alleged in the complaint that when she told Hermann about the discrimination , which included offensive comments , she was praised . `` We 're lucky to have you , '' Hermann allegedly said in an e-mail , according to court documents . A jury in Kentucky awarded Banker $ 300,000 in damages and lost wages , but it was overturned by an appeals court . Banker 's attorney is appealing the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court , according to court documents . Hermann did not return a telephone call from CNN seeking comment . The University of Louisville , in state Supreme Court court filings , defended the firing , saying the evidence showed Banker was `` an abysmal coach and recruiter . '' Word of the Louisville lawsuit followed news first reported Sunday by a New Jersey newspaper , The Star-Ledger , that a group of former volleyball players at Tennessee accused Hermann of `` mental cruelty . '' In a letter written in 1997 and obtained by the newspaper , members of the team purportedly claimed that Hermann called players `` whores , alcoholics and learning disabled . '' Verbal abuse from Hermann became so intense , they claimed , that the team banded together to write the letter , calling the situation `` irreconcilable . '' After the team presented the letter to Hermann , she chose to stop coaching them , according to the newspaper 's report . One former Tennessee volleyball player defended Hermann in a statement of support , which was released by Rutgers . `` You were tough no doubt but I knew you cared and I went from being a kid with a bad attitude who thought I was God 's gift to athletics to the captain of my team , '' wrote Sonya Thomas , who played for Tennessee from 1992 to 1995 . `` Your intensity helped me be mentally tough and it was exactly what I needed . None of it was abusive , mean spirited or demeaning . '' In a written statement released Monday , Hermann said her former students ' comments are `` heartbreaking . '' She denied the allegations of abuse and vowed to push ahead in her new role . `` I was never notified of the reported letter outlining the concerns of some former athletes . However , I am truly sorry that some were disappointed during my tenure as coach , '' she said . `` For sure , I was an intense coach , but there is a vast difference between high intensity and abusive behavior . '' Hermann said her commitment to students ' success has been firm throughout her career . Rutgers University President Robert L. Barchi said Monday that he stands by the school 's choice . `` Rutgers was deliberative at every stage of this process , '' he said in a written statement . `` Over the course of the search , Julie 's record established her as a proven leader in athletics administration with a strong commitment to academic success as well as athletic excellence , and a strong commitment to the well-being of student athletes . '' A University of Tennessee spokeswoman declined to comment . Louisville women 's basketball coach Jeff Walz backed Hermann , his boss over the last six years . While he could n't speak about what may or may not have happened at Tennessee , Walz said that in their time together at Louisville , he found Hermman to be `` a very good administrator who always put the student athletes ' well-being first , no matter what situation it was . '' The Cardinals coach said he did n't see the uproar over Hermann coming , given his observations of her with him and his players . He credits her with helping put a solid system in place , so student athletes were in good hands from their first day on campus through to their graduation . `` ( In ) the six years that I had with her , she was very competent at what she does , how she handles situations , and how she treats the student athletes , '' Walz said . CNN 's Greg Botelho , Aaron Cooper , John Berman , Catherine E. Shoichet , Jason Kessler , Laura Dolan and Lorenzo Ferrigno contributed to this report .
NEW : A Louisville coach says Hermann `` always put the student-athletes ' well-being first '' Hermann was named in a lawsuit while at the University of Louisville . She was accused , along with others , of sexual discrimination . Some of her ex-players at Tennessee accused her of `` mental cruelty ''