COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Joseph Nally was disappointed onthree fronts by disparaging remarks made by
Ohio State University’sformer president — as a Roman Catholic, a graduate of Ohio State and aNotre Dame
grad."Your President’s recent remarks weredisappointing — and unacceptable," Nally, a Cleveland
doctor, wrote in ascathing letter to Ohio State’s trustee chairman on June 3.InDecember comments first
revealed in May by The Associated Press,ex-President Gordon Gee jabbed Roman Catholics, the University of
NotreDame and Southeastern Conference schools, among others.Nally, 62,a kidney disease specialist at the
Cleveland Clinic, said in a phoneinterview Wednesday that Gee’s comments "really tainted the
university."Theuniversity was flooded with angry emails and letters after the remarks,many demanding
Gee’s firing or immediate resignation, according todocuments obtained by the AP through an open records
request."TheBoard should be asking, what would they have done if any other employeeof the university
made similar remarks about Jews, gays, impairedpersons, obese persons, same sex couples or a racially
insensitiveremark?" Dennis Lyons wrote in a May 31 email. He told the AP in afollow-up email he was
satisfied with Gee’s retirement.In Dec. 5comments to the university Athletic Council, Gee criticized
thenegotiating tactics of Notre Dame administrators during discussionsabout joining the Big Ten, saying they
weren’t good partners. Hejokingly said the school’s priests were "holy on Sunday and they’re holyhell
on the rest of the week," and said, to laughter, "you just can’ttrust those damn
Catholics."On March 11, before the remarksbecame public, university trustees ordered Gee to begin
apologizing forthe comments and warned that future transgressions could lead to hisdismissal.Gee, 69,
retired July 1, a decision he announced just a few days after the AP first reported on the
remarks."Dr.Gee was on vacation with his family and he returned and indicated hewas making the decision
to retire," Ohio State spokeswoman GayleSaunders said Tuesday when asked for comment on the responses’
impact onGee’s retirement.Gee saw some of the emails when he returned and responded with further apologies,
records show.The university search committee was scheduled to hold another meeting Wednesday to discuss
Gee’s replacement.Commentsfrom people who heard of the remarks and sent unsolicited responseswere
overwhelmingly negative, including 187 emails and letters,according to the correspondence reviewed by the
AP.The Rev.Thomas Shuler, a Catholic priest in Lookout Mountain, Ga., for example,was among at least five
priests who wrote or emailed the university todemand something be done."I cannot recall in my lifetime
(68years old) such a blatant public display of ignorance and bigotry by anofficial — academic and otherwise
— the rank and stature of yourpresident," Shuler said in a May 30 email to university trustees.Asecond
category of responses involved comments from people whoresponded to a form letter apology that Gee emailed
to the entireuniversity community on May 31.Of those, 225 were positive, with 21 negative, records
show."C’monPresident Gee you were hilarious," senior-to-be Mike Leone wrote on May31. "I’m a
church going catholic and was roaring when I heard yourcomments on the radio this morning."Leone, 21,
of Cleveland, told the AP on Tuesday he didn’t feel as if Gee was attacking anyone and was sorry to see him
go.___Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.Copyright 2013 The
Associated Press.