SEATTLE – University of Washington softball coach Teresa Wilson was effectively fired Monday, after issues from a drug scandal yielded what athletic director Barbara Hedges called “probable cause.”
“This is a difficult decision, but one I feel is necessary to move the program beyond the issues with which it has been dealing since October,” Hedges said.
State health investigators suspended the license of Dr. William Scheyer, former softball team physician, after it was discovered that he prescribed and dispensed large amounts of narcotics, tranquilizers and other prescription drugs to Husky softball players the last several years.
Complaints of Scheyer’s dealings with softballs surfaced in 2001. When assistant athletic director Dave Burton sought to fire him, but Wilson intervened, and Scheyer remained as the team’s “consulting physician.”
Hedges ended Scheyer’s contact with the team in August, when state Health Department investigators brought up questions of whether he illegally prescribed thousands of doses of painkillers and other drugs to the softball team.
The state suspended Scheyer’s medical license in October after investigators determined he had improperly written hundreds of prescriptions in the names of a UW softball player, a school athletic trainer and a USA Softball team trainer.
In a news conference in October, Wilson denied knowing of any illegal medical practices by Scheyer.
Hedges, citing the ongoing investigation of the softball program, refused to outline specifics of why she let go one of the most successful coaches in school history.
Citing an unidentified source, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported Sunday that an internal university investigation revealed that Wilson knew Scheyer improperly handed out drugs to her players.
Wilson is out of town and was not available for comment.
Officially, Wilson has been “reassigned” within the athletic department. She has been relived of her duties as softball coach for the remainder of her $93,000 annual contract, which expires June 30, 2004. When the contract expires, Hedges said, it will not be renewed.
Under terms of Wilson’s contract, the athletic director has the discretion to assign the coach to other responsibilities, and Hedges chose to invoke that provision of Wilson’s contract.
Scott Centala and Steve Dailey, Wilson’s assistants, will serve as co- head coaches on an interim basis for the 2004 season, Hedges said. After the season, Hedges said the university will begin a search for a permanent head coach.
Norm Arkans, special assistant to University President Lee Huntsman, said the school’s investigation should be concluded by the end of January. No other personnel moves are planned at this time, he said.
Hedges said she told Wilson of her decision Friday. She gave Wilson the option of accepting the reassignment, a position that so far is undetermined. Wilson accepted the move Sunday, Hedges said.
“It certainly wasn’t a telephone call I wanted to make,” Hedges said. “She built an amazing program here.”
Wilson built the program from scratch upon her hiring in 1992. She formerly coached at Oregon and Missouri, her alma mater. Having built a record of 532-198-1 with the Huskies, Wilson guided Washington to 10 straight postseason berths. The Huskies reached the Women’s College World Series six times and played in the national championship games in 1996 and 1999.
Under Wilson, 16 Huskies earned All-America honors.
“Teresa has had a remarkable career at the University of Washington,” Hedges said. “This is very difficult for the university.”
This is the second high-level dismissal involving a UW head coach in six months. Hedges fired Rick Neuheisel as head football coach in June for gambling on the NCAA basketball tournament, then initially lying to NCAA investigators about it. Neuheisel is contesting the firing and is suing the university and the NCAA.
The controversies have raised questions in some circles of Hedges’ leadership abilities.
“I think you have to look at each situation, the total program, our student-athletes and the fact that the program is very financially stable,” Hedges said. “Then you have to look at the Rick Neuheisel situation and the situation with Dr. Scheyer and you have to say that they are two extremely strange instances …
“As a leader, I’m not sure what kinds of things we could have done to prevent them.”
Hedges said she called all but a few softball players Sunday to tell them of their decision. She said they expressed concerns about Wilson and the direction of the program, but that none mentioned a desire to transfer out of the university.
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