Georgia Tech Women's Coach MaChelle Joseph Fired Amid Bullying Allegations

Georgia Tech fired women's basketball coach MaChelle Joseph Tuesday after 16 years with the program following allegations she was "mentally, emotionally and verbally abusive" to members of her team, according to Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

The school authorized an independent investigation where team members said she "bullied and manipulated them."

"At the end of the day, the most important priority of our athletics department is student-athlete well-being, and it is clear from the findings of this report that we cannot ensure our women’s basketball student-athletes’ well-being with MaChelle as the head coach," athletic director Todd Stansbury said.

The investigation found players said they couldn't trust the coaching staff and they felt they were pressured to play through injury. The team environment was referred to as "hostile," while Joseph was considered manipulative and demeaning.

Among the most serious allegations, the student-athletes said they believe their confidential sessions with the team psychologist were shared with the coaching staff.

Joseph denied the allegations, although she admitted she yelled at players during her career. Per Sugiura, Joseph's attorney alleged the results of the investigation were "manufactured" and the termination was actually an act of retaliation by the school "for the coach's efforts to advocate for gender equity" within the athletics department.

Georgia Tech missed the NCAA tournament this year with a 17-13 record, but Joseph will finish her tenure with the school with a 311-201 record. She has the most wins in program history while leading the squad to the NCAA tournament seven times.

She helped the team earn its first and only Sweet 16 appearance in 2012.