Let's be crystal clear: Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and the University of Wisconsin are highly unlikely to make a change in the athletics leadership department this year. After all, Wisconsin Badgers Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh received a contract extension through 2028-29. However, recent news of another toxic environment within a Wisconsin Badgers athletic team might bring up this question: Should McIntosh be on the hot seat moving forward?
Chris McIntosh's seat isn't hot, but it might be getting warmer.
According to Jim Polzin and Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal, five former members of the women's cross country team claimed to experience "mental abuse and a toxic culture" under then-head coach Mackenzie Wartenberger. One former runner, Brogan MacDougall, reported abuse to the Wisconsin athletic department, alongside her mother, Karen. Wartenberger resigned from her position in January 2022, which MacDougall considered "a slap in the face" to the Wisconsin women's cross-country runners on the team, believing the athletic department "let her go quietly."
Other runners accused Wartenberger of body-shaming and making runners run with serious injuries. MacDougall claimed that Wartenberger told her she was "wasn't strong enough to be a D-I athlete and wasn't built for the D-I level," but an MRI revealed she had a stress fracture in her foot.
Earlier this year, former Wisconsin women's basketball player Tessa Towers accused former coach Marisa Moseley of mistreatment on social media. Other former Badger women's basketball players responded to Towers' posts in support of her. Moseley resigned as coach in March after compiling a 47-75 record in four seasons. McIntosh's hand-picked successor, Robin Pingeton, isn't getting favorable reviews from Badgers fans.
Lastly, on a much less serious note, the Badger football program under McIntosh's most significant hire, Luke Fickell, just went through its first losing season since 2001 and won a total of zero trophy games in 2024. If McIntosh were to fire Fickell, the university would be on the hook for $40 million.
Since McIntosh took over for Barry Alvarez in July 2021, the Badgers have maintained successful athletic programs. The women's hockey program won two national titles in 2023 and 2025, while volleyball captured the 2021 national championship. This past season, the men's track and field team finished fifth in the USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings, while the men's cross country team finished fourth in the NCAA Championships last November.
But this is now two women's programs that have mistreatment allegations brought to the media, and Wisconsin's prized football program has started to underachieve. That should warrant a higher temperature under McIntosh's seat.