Norwood Teague, Minnesota AD, Resigns Because of Inappropriate Texts, Touching

Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague resigned on Aug. 7 following allegations he sexually harassed two female employees of the school, per Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy.

Continue for updates.

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Minnesota Confirms More Allegations

Wednesday, Aug. 19

University president Eric Kaler confirmed the school had received "less than five" new cases of sexual harassment against Teague, according to Marcus R. Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

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"We have received a small number of additional complaints since he came forward," Kaler said on Minnesota Public Radio. "We're in the process of investigating those and we will ask the external counsel that we brought on board to also look into them."

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Teague Resigns Amid Harassment Allegations; Accusers Release Statement

Thursday, Aug. 13

The school confirmed Teague's resignation on Aug. 4, which went into effect immediately. IndyStar.com's David Woods reported Beth Goetz will act as interim athletic director.

According to DeCourcy, Teague sent inappropriate texts and made unwelcome advances toward the women in question. DeCourcy's report included copies of the texts released by Minnesota, which Jana Shortal of KARE 11 in Minneapolis didn't think made for good reading:

"After careful and painful consideration, I've decided to leave the University of Minnesota," he told Shortal, per Sara Pelissero of KARE 11. "At a recent university event, I had entirely too much to drink. I behaved badly towards nice people and sent truly inappropriate texts. I apologize to everyone involved. This neither reflects my true character or true character of this great, great university."

On Aug. 13, the two employees, Ann Aronson and Erin Dady, released a statement, per WCCO in Minneapolis:

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We are the two women who filed the initial complaints of sexual harassment and assault by Norwood Teague at the University of Minnesota. We are members of President Kaler’s senior leadership team, and Teague was a colleague of ours on that team.

We felt compelled to report Teague’s behavior because it was frightening and wrong. We believed there would be others, and we felt a duty to help protect them.

When filing our complaints, we intended to keep our identities confidential. It is difficult to report sexual harassment and assault and endure a public examination that includes speculative news coverage. President Kaler strove to maintain our confidentiality and is taking decisive steps to review and investigate all sexual harassment allegations and the climate in Gopher athletics. He has made it clear that the University of Minnesota will not tolerate sexual harassment. For that we are very grateful.

Unfortunately, Teague has sent an email inside and outside of the U of M community, disclosing that these incidents of unwelcome sexual advances and verbal and physical sexual misconduct occurred at a University of Minnesota senior leadership retreat. With only a dozen women having attended the retreat, our identities have been rumored and speculated about. And some members of the media have sought to discover who we are.

We therefore decided to reveal our identities ourselves, today, in this public statement. We ask you to respect our privacy and the privacy of others who decide to take such action.
Sexual harassment is a predatory act. Having too much to drink does not excuse it. It’s a problem that continues to plague our institutions and our working lives despite programs and training designed to suppress it. The only way to eliminate it is to call attention to it when you see it or experience it.

In sharing our story today, we hope to make it easier for those who experience sexual harassment and assault to come forward. We stand with them.

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Teague added he takes "full responsibility for my actions" and will be looking to remedy his alcohol problem in the future.

The Star Tribune reported Minnesota president Eric Kaler would've opened an investigation into Teague's actions had he not handed in his resignation.

Kaler tabbed deputy athletics director Beth Goetz to fill in as the AD on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is found.