Wichita State women's basketball coach being investigated

[Da Coach]

The Wichita State women's team won the MVC this season, as well as winning last season and tying Creighton for the title 2 years ago. They have dominated women's basketball like the men's team has dominated the men's basketball.

But after their season ended, 4 players unexpectedly quit the team, and now their coach is being investigated for possible verbal and physical abuse.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article19355382.html

[tornado]

This is not the first time this same pattern of abusive behavior has come up...

https://luiscmedina.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/dana-eikenberg-resurfaces-at-wichita-state/

http://sportsdeskspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/06/does-apple-not-fall-far-from-tree.html

but this constitutes a classic example of how winning seems to cause those in charge to ignore the behavior & just keep looking the other way...

[ollienanyes]

Or, it could be that the price of being successful is very high and some are unwilling to pay it.

I love the way her team plays. Then again, she was very intense when she played at Tennessee.

[tornado]

further allegations being made know of abuse & racism by Wichita State head women's basketball coach

http://www.thesunflower.com/news/article_56cb2594-ec9c-11e4-b3a1-6740d8fd89bb.html

[Chico]

further allegations being made know of abuse & racism by Wichita State head women's basketball coach
http://www.thesunflower.com/news/art...0d8fd89bb.html

Never thought they'd bring that up.

[ollienanyes]

Update on this situation. She is staying.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/article20251692.html

[tornado]

things have been buried for a while as long as the coach is successful - but suddenly the Wichita women's basketball team is losing and this issue arises again...

now Jody Adams-Birch is suspended for two games -

http://www.kwch.com/content/news/WSU-womens-basketball-assistant-to-step-in-as-head-coach-411285515.html

apparently the entire team boycotted practices due to complaints of abuse...and the AD received more complaints of "mistreatment" and harsh discipline from players

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article127612249.html

[ollienanyes]

Fired!

Wichita State let her go. Ironically, they beat the Bradley women this Friday.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college...128112014.html

[Da Coach]

Athletic director Darron Boatright informed the team of the move after the game....
Boatright declined to say whether Adams-Birch was fired or resigned.

Interesting. Sounds like they probably bought her out to save face and avoid a lawsuit over unjustified firing.

They have a press conference scheduled for Monday.

[tornado]

turned out not to be much of a press conference...
the fired coach isn't talking - probably part of the agreement for her to get a comfy buyout and depart quietly...

But...
"KSN also asked if Adams would be paid for the rest of the season.
Boatright said he’s not talking about the separation agreement specifics at this time."

so they're spending taxpayer money as a state organization, but they don't want to reveal what's being paid out...
I suspect one of the Wichita news organizations will get the info sooner or later.


also...
"...WSU will pay Hargrove (the interim coach) $5,000 a week for the remainder of the season.
She said she is not a candidate for the permanent job and will help Boatright with the coaching search.

The financial implications of Adams-Birch’s departure are not final, Boatright said. She is in the third season of a five-year contract that pays her around $260,000. Boatright said that WSU had exercised a provision in the contract that ended its automatic one-year extensions.

“We’re finalizing an agreement currently, and until that’s finalized, I don’t think it serves anyone well to comment,” Boatright said.

Adams-Birch’s contract includes a buyout clause that calls for payment of her salary through the completion of her contract or $500,000, whichever is less, if her employment is ended for any reason other than “good cause.”

“Good cause,” the contract states, would include gross professional or personal misconduct, refusal to perform duties, knowing and deliberate failure to properly supervise the coaching staff and provide oversight of the program.

Boatright wouldn’t discuss specifics of Adams-Birch’s contract or settlement negotiations."


Full transcript

[RoyalShock]

Our previous AD should have fired her, but I think money might have been an issue, having recently fired Gene Stephenson a year or so earlier. They gave her enough rope to hang herself, IMO. I quit paying attention (can't say support because I didn't go to games) to the women's team after that.

I think they are still hammering out the financial details of the "amicable" parting, which is why the AD isn't discussing that part of it.