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Wisconsin coach , Brian Wardle, accused of abuse
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MummyChunk
Apr 17, 2013, 2:52:57 PM4/17/13
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From ESPN
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A second complaint has been lodged against
Wisconsin-Green Bay men's basketball coach Brian Wardle, this one
alleging verbal abuse and bullying.
Gina Cougill, the mother of senior forward Brennan Cougill, wrote to
university chancellor Thomas Harden last week, shortly after the
parents of former center Ryan Bross filed the initial complaint
against Wardle.
Gina Cougill provided a copy of her letter to the Green Bay
Press-Gazette, accusing Wardle of mistreating his players.
"These young men were entrusted to the UWGB coaching staff to
mold and shape them into adulthood," she wrote. "That
statement itself makes me quiver because, from my perspective, the
only shaping has been verbal abuse and bullying toward most of the
players."
Cougill accused Wardle of minimizing her son's clinical depression as
a "distraction," and said other players have been subjected
to worse treatment. The university has hired a lawyer to conduct an
independent investigation. Wardle released a statement through the
school following the first complaint saying he would support the
process and wouldn't comment further.
Details of the Bross complaint have not been released by the family or
school.
Bross is one of four players to leave the program since mid-February.
Guard Kam Cerroni left in February, saying he had
"differences" with Wardle. Freshman Nick Arenz left after
the season, and junior guard Sultan Muhammad recently received his
release.
Brennan Cougill, who was the team's third-leading scorer at 9 points
per game last season, was suspended for four games for violating a
team rule for an academic infraction. When he was reinstated, Gina
Cougill said, Wardle gave him a list of 20 ways in which her son had
been a distraction for the team.
The distractions included a breakdown that her son apparently
experienced on the bench during the second half of a loss to
UW-Milwaukee last year, and a post that Gina Cougill made on the
basketball team's Facebook page alleging too much one-on-one play in
games. Even though she wrote the post, she said, her son was blamed.
"So instead of talking to me, [Wardle] pulled my son in and
writes that in our little 20 distractions, and he said most kids get
to six and are released from the team," she said.
The investigation is being led by private attorney Joseph Nicks, who
told The Associated Press on Monday he planned to start quickly and
conduct a fair analysis. He said he couldn't speculate on when the
investigation would be complete.
The complaints come amid heightened scrutiny of coach behavior.
Basketball coach Mike Rice was fired by Rutgers after a video was
released that showed him kicking and grabbing players while uttering
anti-gay slurs at them in practice over the past 2ￜ seasons.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A second complaint has been lodged against
Wisconsin-Green Bay men's basketball coach Brian Wardle, this one
alleging verbal abuse and bullying.
Gina Cougill, the mother of senior forward Brennan Cougill, wrote to
university chancellor Thomas Harden last week, shortly after the
parents of former center Ryan Bross filed the initial complaint
against Wardle.
Gina Cougill provided a copy of her letter to the Green Bay
Press-Gazette, accusing Wardle of mistreating his players.
"These young men were entrusted to the UWGB coaching staff to
mold and shape them into adulthood," she wrote. "That
statement itself makes me quiver because, from my perspective, the
only shaping has been verbal abuse and bullying toward most of the
players."
Cougill accused Wardle of minimizing her son's clinical depression as
a "distraction," and said other players have been subjected
to worse treatment. The university has hired a lawyer to conduct an
independent investigation. Wardle released a statement through the
school following the first complaint saying he would support the
process and wouldn't comment further.
Details of the Bross complaint have not been released by the family or
school.
Bross is one of four players to leave the program since mid-February.
Guard Kam Cerroni left in February, saying he had
"differences" with Wardle. Freshman Nick Arenz left after
the season, and junior guard Sultan Muhammad recently received his
release.
Brennan Cougill, who was the team's third-leading scorer at 9 points
per game last season, was suspended for four games for violating a
team rule for an academic infraction. When he was reinstated, Gina
Cougill said, Wardle gave him a list of 20 ways in which her son had
been a distraction for the team.
The distractions included a breakdown that her son apparently
experienced on the bench during the second half of a loss to
UW-Milwaukee last year, and a post that Gina Cougill made on the
basketball team's Facebook page alleging too much one-on-one play in
games. Even though she wrote the post, she said, her son was blamed.
"So instead of talking to me, [Wardle] pulled my son in and
writes that in our little 20 distractions, and he said most kids get
to six and are released from the team," she said.
The investigation is being led by private attorney Joseph Nicks, who
told The Associated Press on Monday he planned to start quickly and
conduct a fair analysis. He said he couldn't speculate on when the
investigation would be complete.
The complaints come amid heightened scrutiny of coach behavior.
Basketball coach Mike Rice was fired by Rutgers after a video was
released that showed him kicking and grabbing players while uttering
anti-gay slurs at them in practice over the past 2ￜ seasons.
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