Miami University’s women’s basketball coach has resigned following confirmation she was sending “intimate” text messages to a player on the team, The Athletic has reported.
“Those communications, obtained by The Athletic, include a string of over 180 text messages spanning an 11-day period,” the report reads. “In them, Hendrix wrote ‘I love you’ and ‘You’re my baby’ and told the player: ‘I. Can’t. Wait. To. Squeeze. You.’ In all, more than 30 of the messages were of an intimate nature.”
In another exchange, Hendrix expressed disappointment in not being able to be open with their relationship. Another string of text messages revealed that before she met with the player she texted how “the airport will be clear of Miami WBB employees.”
University officials were alerted of the messages on April 19 and Hendrix was suspended immediately thereafter, the school’s athletic director David Sayler said. The school launched an investigation and found that while the coach didn’t violate Title IX or school sexual misconduct policies, her actions led university officials to terminate her contract because of rules stating that staffers cannot engage in relationships with undergraduate students.
One week later, Hendrix turned in her resignation.
“I want to thank Miami University and its administration for allowing me to lead this program for the last four years,” she said in a statement obtained by the Miami Redhawks.
“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 the continual love and support. I look forward to the next phase of my career and continue rooting for the RedHawks.”
A Miami spokesperson told The Athletic the school didn’t originally reveal the reason behind her resignation because it wanted to protect the student athletes’ well-being.
Hendrix was hired right before the 2019-20 season after she spent seven seasons as High Point’s head coach. The RedHawks went 35-80 in her four years on the sideline, according to Bleacher Report.
