gettyimages-1246545484-1.jpg
Getty Images

Miami (Ohio) women's basketball coach DeUnna Hendrix resigned on Wednesday after four seasons at the helm of the program. This happened just a week after the school reportedly became aware of Hendrix sending a series of "intimate" text messages to an unnamed player.

According to The Athletic, there were over 180 text messages in an 11-day period and more than 30 of them were of an "intimate nature." These included Hendrix telling the player things such as "I love you" and "You're my baby." In one of the messages, Hendrix told the player, "I. Can't. Wait. To. Squeeze. You." The player was also "professing her love for Hendrix." 

Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler reportedly became aware of the text messages on April 19, and Hendrix was suspended the following day as the school's Title IX coordinator started an investigation into the situation with the student-athlete. They eventually concluded that "the matter did not constitute a violation of Title IX or the University's Sexual Misconduct protocol." However, there was sufficient information to pursue the termination process because it appeared Hendrix did violate the university's policy on consensual relationships between staff members and undergraduate students.

The RedHawks are coming off a season in which they went 12-19 and 7-11 in the MAC. Since Hendrix took over Miami (Ohio) in 2019, the team has gone 35–80 with seven players earning All-MAC honors. Before this job, Hendrix coached at High Point for seven seasons. 

"I want to thank Miami University and its administration for allowing me to lead this program for the last four years," Hendrix said in a statement released by Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday. "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."