Larry Eustachy Resigns From Colorado State

Larry Eustachy has resigned as head coach of men’s basketball at Colorado State, two weeks after he was placed on a paid leave of absence while the university investigated him for violating a zero-tolerance policy of abusive behavior toward players.

The news was first reported by the Denver Post, which noted that Eustachy will remain on paid leave through the beginning of July and will then receive $750,000 in payments through 2019. Eustachy issued a statement this afternoon:

The university first investigated Eustachy during the 2013-14 season and found a record of emotional and verbal abuse toward players, one that created “a culture of fear and intimidation” with behavior that included throwing chairs and soda cans in front of his team. He was required to attend anger-management sessions, and a new zero-tolerance policy was instituted for any similar behavior in the future.

Colorado State began investigating Eustachy this season for violating that policy. It’s unclear exactly what the suspected violations were, but the Post cited team sources claiming that the coach would single out players for verbal abuse to “berate them with profanities.”

“We really did think Eustachy’s behavior improved after the 2013-14 season and into 2015 and 2016, but this season it became obvious that there were still some issues,” an anonymous source told the Post.

When Eustachy was first put on paid leave, assistant coach Steve Barnes took over in his stead, but he was suspended with pay after just two games in charge, reportedly for displaying “behavior mimicking Eustachy’s.” Assistant coach Jase Herl has been the interim head coach ever since.

[ Denver Post]