Louisiana Tech puts recruit release on hold after Summitt resignation
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Louisiana Tech has put recruit Jada Roper's release from her commitment on hold following the news of head coach Tyler Summitt's resignation from the women's basketball program, according to ESPN.com's Dan Olson.
Summitt stepped down from his position on Thursday saying he was disappointed “for engaging in a relationship that has negatively affected the people I love, respect and care about the most.” The extent of the relationship was not specified.
Louisiana Tech athletics director Tommy McClelland told reporters that university began investigating whether Summitt had engaged in an ”inappropriate relationship” before he resigned.
“What bond we built up in two-and-a-half years is gone, and now we have three months to find another home,” Roper's mother told ESPN. “Jaida wanted to go to Louisiana Tech because of Tyler Summitt and the staff. Don't punish my daughter on the account of his improprieties.”
The National Letter of Intent that is signed by recruits is binding regardless if a coach leaves a school, unless the institution grants a signed release.
ESPN also reports that fellow recruit Jaiden McCoy has not decided whether she will seek a release from her NLI. The father of redshirt freshman Anna McLeod, who has already enrolled at Louisiana Tech, says the university does not plan to grant a release to player until a new coach is set in place.
