Miami Ohio WBB Coach DeUnna Hendrix Resigns After Inappropriate Texts with Player

Miami (Ohio) women's basketball coach DeUnna Hendrix resigned after the school was alerted to "intimate" text messages she exchanged with a player, according to The Athletic's Chantel Jennings and Brian Hamilton.

"Those communications, provided to The Athletic by a university source, include a string of over 180 text messages spanning an 11-day period," the report read. "In them, Hendrix wrote 'I love you' and 'You're my baby' and told the player: 'I. Can't. Wait. To. Squeeze. You.' In all, more than 30 of the messages were of an intimate nature."

In another conversation, Hendrix lamented how she and the player couldn't be more open about their relationship. Prior to a meeting with the player, she also wrote how "the airport will be clear of Miami WBB employees."

Athletic director David Sayler told The Athletic university officials learned of the messages on April 19, which led to Hendrix being suspended pending an investigation.

While the situation didn't violate Title IX or school sexual misconduct policies, Sayler determined there were grounds to terminate Hendrix's contract because of rules regarding school staffers engaging in relationships with undergraduate students.

The RedHawks announced Wednesday that Hendrix had resigned.

"I want to thank Miami University and its administration for allowing me to lead this program for the last four years," she said in a statement. "I can't express the amount of gratitude I have for this prestigious institution and its leadership. I also want to thank the Oxford community for the continual love and support. I look forward to the next phase of my career and continue rooting for the RedHawks."

A Miami spokesperson told The Athletic the school didn't initially disclose the reason behind her departure because it wanted to protect the student athletes' well-being.

Miami hired Hendrix ahead of the 2019-20 season after she spent seven seasons as the head coach at High Point. The RedHawks went 35-80 in her four years on the sideline.