From espn.com:
George Washington University Men's Basketball Coach Mike Lonergan has been fired. In a report by The Washington Post in July, multiple former players and staff members said Lonergan, 50, routinely abused his players verbally and emotionally in his assessments and critiques of them, creating an offensive environment and causing many of them to leave the program as a result.
According to The Post, Lonergan told one athlete he belonged in a "transgender league" and suggested that another's son would forever rely on public assistance.
One former player, according to The Post, said he needed therapy to cope after his time playing for Lonergan.
Lonergan's attorney, Scott Tompsett, denied the allegations, telling ESPN in July that the Post article was "full of lies and half-truths." USA Today was first to report news of Lonergan's firing on Friday. The move left members of the George Washington staff in shock, sources told ESPN's Katz.
According to the sources, the team -- which has eight new players, including seven freshmen -- and staff had developed great chemistry during a summer trip to Japan and were excited about the upperclassmen leadership for the season.
A source told ESPN that Lonergan left campus at midday Friday and didn't tell anyone why. George Washington also had a recruit on campus for an official visit Friday and Lonergan unexpectedly didn't show up for dinner with him, a source said.
If the Colonials keep the job in house on an interim basis the favorite would be associate head coach and University of Louisville Alum Hajj Turner (pictured above with Reese Gaines and Coach Rick Pitino), according to a source.
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