Miami (Ohio) women’s basketball coach, De Unna Hendrix, has resigned after four seasons, the Miami University Director of Athletics announced on Wednesday.
According to CBS Sports, Hendrix resigned as a result of an inquiry into an alleged inappropriate sensuous contact between Hendrix and a student-athlete.
David Sayler, the university’s sports director, became aware of Hendrix and the student exchanging explicit text messages at least a week before the coach resigned. Hendrix texted the unidentified student more than 30 times, including “I love you” and “You’re my baby,” CBS reported, citing The Athletic.
The coach was suspended the next day after Sayler discovered the communications, and the school’s Title IX coordinator initiated an investigation. Title IX is a landmark law passed in 1972 that prohibits gender discrimination in federally financed education programs and is associated with encouraging girls’ and women’s athletics in schools.
Hendrix did not violate Title IX or the school’s sexual misconduct policy, according to the review. However, officials claimed she violated the university’s policy on consensual relationships between faculty and students.
“I want to thank Miami University and its administration for allowing me to lead this program for the last four years,” Hendrix said in the statement. “I can’t express the amount of gratitude I have for this prestigious institution and its leadership. I also want to thank the Oxford community for their continual Love and support. I look forward to the next phase of my career and continue rooting for the RedHawks.”
During her tenure, Hendrix led the RedHawks to a 12-19 overall and 7-11 Mid-American Conference record this past season. Under her headship, seven players earned All-MAC honors, and 1 student-athlete was named to the Academic All-MAC squad.