Ross Tyler Summitt, the former head coach of Louisiana Tech’s women’s basketball team and the son of Pat Summitt, had to step down from his position after being caught having an inappropriate relationship with one of his players.
The details of that relationship haven’t been made public, but we’re guessing that if the son of Tennessee’s most popular woman is forced to publicly resign because of a scandal, that it’s not something all that innocent.
Update: SB Nation‘s WNBA blog Swish Appeal is reporting that Tyler impregnated the player, whose name is still unreleased. Like we said, not all that innocent.
Here is the official resignation letter from Tyler.
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.
#LATech has announced the resignation of Tyler Summitt for "personal reasons." pic.twitter.com/nb730O5Gmc
— Jonathan Ford (@theJFord) April 7, 2016
Who Is Tyler Summitt?
Tyler Summitt is the son of basketball legend and Tennessee royalty Pat Summitt. He attended Tennessee himself and was a player on the Volunteers for two years.
His first major gig as a coach was acting as a student assistant coach for Pat and the Lady Vols. After he graduated, he earned a job as a former assistant coach at Marquette. From there, he was offered the the head coaching job at Louisiana State University.
Louisiana Tech is the second-most winning college team in the history of women’s basketball. Tyler grew up learning the game from one of the sport’s best minds, but getting hired to that job at the age of 23 is more than a curious.
Tyler was 30-31 in his two seasons at Louisiana Tech.
And since nothing in life is ever uncomplicated, Tyler is married to Anne Dennis Ragsdale aka AnDe.
Scandal Rumors
Nothing official or particularly juicy about the scandal have been released, but that’s never stopped Twitter from talking about possibilities. Rumors point at one player, who (along with one other player) transferred to Louisiana Tech along with Tyler, in particular.
https://twitter.com/HeyShellRenee/status/718305792340946944/photo/1
That being said, there are plenty of reasons that players follow an assistant coach to a head coaching job, so I personally don’t buy into the fact that that’s a transfer is all the evidence needed.
• The coach has a play style that fits your game.
• The coach knows your game, how well it fits his style, and will give you playing time.
Swish Nation claims that they know the name of the player but that they are choosing not to release her name. Eventually the truth will spill, just like his wife AnDe will eventually get a hefty settlement in the divorce.
