On Thursday night, the odd news that Tyler Summitt was resigning as Louisiana Tech‘s women’s basketball coach came with an apparent admission of an “inappropriate relationship.” That could mean any number of things, but SB Nation’s women’s basketball blog Swish Appeal quickly cited sources that added a layer to the situation.
BREAKING: Tyler Summitt impregnates player, multiple sources tell @SwishAppeal #ncaaW https://t.co/qZ9RniimGi
— Swish Appeal (@SwishAppeal) April 8, 2016
Here’s the statement Summitt released after his resignation.
“It is with great regret that I resign from my position as head coach of the women’s basketball program at Louisiana Tech University. I am profoundly disappointed in myself for engaging in a relationship that has negatively affected the people I love, respect and care about the most. My hope, plans and prayers are to repair those relationships. I am appreciative of the opportunity I was given to coach at Louisiana Tech. I am heartbroken that my time has ended in Ruston, but because of my respect for the institution, it is best that I resign. I am hopeful the media and the public will respect the privacy of my family and me as we deal with this difficult situation I have caused.”
Summitt is the son of legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, so he’s a recognizable name on the basketball landscape. The Lady Techsters posted a 30-31 record over his two seasons at the helm, and prior to taking that head coaching job the 25-year-old worked as an assistant at Marquette from 2012-14 and was a student assistant under his mother.
Summitt is also a married man, so his infidelity is bad enough outside of the sports scope. But questions about Summitt’s maturity and professionalism are sure to keep him from another coaching opportunity for awhile.
Summitt probably got the Louisiana Tech job based on his mother’s coaching record, and quite frankly the team’s results over the last two years should have put his job security into question. Now he’s out for a bigger, more serious reason, with a big black mark on his own resume that will follow him indefinitely if he wants to continuing coaching women’s basketball in the future.
Just when you think the sports world has exhausted all possible angles, ridiculous, serious and in between, a unique, shocking in the moment story surfaces. Summitt’s infidelity, lack of professionalism and complete lack of judgement are all tentacles to a story that would be unbelievable… if we could truly be shocked by anything anymore.