But he says basketball coach Mike Rice should have been fired long before a video was aired showing him mistreating players.
Christie answered questions Monday for the first time since Rice was fired and the athletic director resigned.
He says Rice should have been dismissed in November after the university was given a video showing him kicking and shoving players and spewing gay slurs.
He says, "Anybody who saw the video in November should have come to same conclusion."
He says Barchi made a mistake not requesting to see the video himself the end of last year. But he says it was not a firing offense. He says the heads of large institutions need to be able to delegate.
