UVM hockey coach fired over alleged ‘inappropriate’ text messages

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The head coach for the University of Vermont men’s hockey team is out.

UVM Athletic Director Jeff Schulman announced on Tuesday that he fired Todd Woodcroft.

The decision followed a four-month investigation by the school’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity into text messages allegedly sent by Woodcroft to a UVM student. According to Schulman, the text messages were “inappropriate” and sent “on multiple occasions.”

“I’m not going to get into giving real specific details about the messages. The way we’ve characterized it publicly I hope paints the picture that they were inappropriate, that they didn’t maintain the level of professional boundaries that are expected of employees in their interactions with students. And, obviously, it was sufficiently serious to warrant termination,” Schulman said.

UVM is promoting Assistant Steve Wiedler to serve as interim head coach for the 2023-24 season.

In a statement, Woodcroft’s lawyer, Andrew Miltenberg, said: “We vehemently disagree with the process and the findings of a proceeding that lacked fundamental fairness and due process. We strongly believe the University’s decision was contrary to the facts and the law... We intend to pursue justice for Mr. Woodcroft, who has been an outstanding coach and community advocate for over two decades.”

Our Jack Fitzsimmons is looking into the case and what this means for the team. You can see his full reports on the Channel 3 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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UVM fires men’s hockey coach Todd Woodcroft

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