Gopher Wrestling Coach Fired For Hiding Team's Drug Abuse

University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson was fired Wednesday by athletic director Mark Coyle.

Coyle fired Robinson with cause, and Robinson will not receive payment from the rest of his contract, worth over $500,000.

A university investigation found that Robinson tried to prevent more than a dozen Minnesota wrestlers, allegedly involved in a drug ring, from receiving punishment.

The investigation began in April, when an anonymous member of the Minnesota wrestling team reported to police that teammates were using and selling Xanax on campus. Robinson was placed on paid administrative leave June 1.

"I’m terminating Coach Robinson’s contract because he was not forthcoming with his ­superiors when reporting his suspicions about selling and abusing prescription medication," Coyle said Wednesday.

Coyle added that while he has a great deal of respect for Robinson and what he’s accomplished during his 30 years at the university, that respect cannot excuse his conduct in this instance.

Coyle wrote a two-page letter to Robinson listing the coach's "multiple acts of serious misconduct," including:

You failed to disclose information regarding drug related activity of your team, including drug sales by current team members.

You instructed student athletes to turn in drugs to you, drugs were turned over to you, [you] took possession of the drugs, and you disposed of them. This directly impacted the ability of the University and law enforcement officials to investigate and address the matter.

You made promise of amnesty and confidentiality to student athletes that you were not authorized to make.

You disobeyed reasonable directives from me and the University to share information regarding the drug related activities of Wrestling team members. Although you have the information, you refused [to] say which student athletes were involved in selling drugs. You have also declined to answer other questions asked of you regarding your actions in this matter.

While at Minnesota, Robinson had one of the most successful coaching careers in school history, winning three national championships.

Image: Minnesota National Guard via Flickr /Creative Commons