Iowa Softball’s Coaching Controversy Runs Deeper Than Medical Leave Explanation
The University of Iowa is searching for its fourth softball coach in nearly a year.
At least that is what Director of Athletics Beth Goetz stated in a press release Tuesday afternoon when she announced the departure of Renee Gillispie due to medical reasons.
The coaching controversy in Iowa City began long before three players decided to take a knee during the National Anthem in Fayetteville, Ark.
It also goes back well before the athletic department announced Gillispie's medical leave in December 2024.
On May 31, 2024, former interim head coach Brian Levin was just an assistant at the time, felt something was wrong within the program and reached out to senior associate athletics director Suzanne Hilleman. In the email, Levin asked for a meeting to discuss taking another job.
"I would like to discuss a possible future on the administrative side of the athletic department," Levin wrote.
In an exclusive interview with Softball on SI and The Daily Iowan, Levin said he wanted to transition to another job within the athletic department because of the softball program's toxic culture.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else available but things began to change when Levin reached out to Goetz on Dec. 6, 2024.
Several players met with the athletic department to discuss the culture that was created under Gillispie.
"To be honest it was a weight off my shoulders because they asked me to be a spokesperson for them which put me in a very delicate situation," writes Levin. "Their frustrations and feelings are valid, and I don't disagree with concerns they have expressed to me that they believe are an obstacle in the progress of the program.
"I am around Renee much more than the players, and I feel they or the administration may not be aware of what I worry are underlying factors to her leadership."
Roughly four hours later, Goetz responded to Levin, telling him, "this is a helpful perspecitive and I will back out to schedule a follow-up conversation next week."
Before Goetz had a chance to follow up, Levin had to reach back out because the team was being kept in the dark with details regarding Gillispie.
On Dec. 12, 2024, Levin sent another email.
"According to them, they were told that they would get an update on Monday of this week and received no correspondence. They may have interpreted that timeline incorrectly, but that is what they articulated to me. To ensure I can provide accurate information and help address their concerns effectively, I would like to ask the following:
"Are there any updates stemming from the meeting that I can share with the team?
"Should this be done via a direct update from me, or would you prefer to address the team personally?"
Goetz responded, telling Levin she wanted to meet with him the following morning and on Dec. 17, Gillispie was placed on medical leave and Levin was named interim head coach.
On March 7, 2025, Levin was terminated and Karl Golan was named acting head coach.
Levin tried to change the culture before he was tagged with the interim title but there were secrets and shadiness going on behind the scenes above him that prevented him from doing much of anything.
He had the support of players and colleagues with text messages backing it up.
For example, Levin didn't want every student-athlete to travel and specifically asked administration for this to be put in place. He mentioned three players, who he asked to remain anonymous, to stay behind and those three began kneeling for the anthem.
Following Levin's firing in March, those same three players didn't travel.
There is plenty of blame to go around but the responsibility of the program ultimately falls on the administration and judging by the cryptic emails, Goetz is hiding more than what has been made public.
More news: Renee Gillispie Out as Iowa Softball Head Coach, National Search Begins
More news: Omaha Softball Star Maddia Groff Enters Softball America Rankings, Wins Sixth League Honor
More news: Nebraska Softball’s Jordy Bahl Earns Multiple Player of the Week Awards
-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.