NCAA Hoops Coach Exits With Hefty Payout—and a Trail of Scarred Players
Former players tell The Daily Beast that they are outraged by her “amicable” departure.
An NCAA Division I women’s basketball coach finally resigned this week after years of abuse allegations, including racism and homophobia. But former players are outraged by her “amicable” departure and hefty six-figure severance payout, telling The Daily Beast that her alleged misconduct goes way beyond the recent allegations that led to her exit.
Northern Kentucky University announced on Friday that it had cut Camryn Volz’s contract short following an investigation into alleged abusive behavior. An anonymous report filed to school officials on March 5 alleged that Volz frequently engaged in “racial remarks,” “homophobia,” and “constant degradation of mental health,” according to a redacted human-resources document reviewed by The Daily Beast. A week later, another anonymous report further claimed the coach had “created an environment where fear and manipulation [were] used to” make members of the team “compliant.”
Through a lawyer, Volz denied all of the allegations made against her.
During its investigation, university officials met with all the players on the women’s basketball team, assistant coaches, and other athletic personnel. According to the human resources report, student-athletes accused Volz of racist behavior: regularly mocking Black players’ hair and comparing it to “a horse’s mane,” asking if they were going to get their hair done before the next game, and telling one player that she was looking “rough and tough like they were going to beat someone up because of their hairstyle.” The school’s probe also found that the head coach allegedly made racially insensitive comments about certain cities being dangerous and that she had to “get on” a player who was from one of those places.
Student-athletes claimed that Volz was flippant and inappropriate about her players’ sexuality, especially when they behaved in gender-nonconforming ways, according to the report. She allegedly outed one player on the team, joked about gender stereotypes and made fun of players for so-called masculine behaviors, and had an “overstepping interest” in players’ sexuality. The team further alleged that Volz mistreated players experiencing mental health-related issues by ignoring them, claiming they were “weak,” or badgering them if they cried.