Richmond (Ind.) High School fired head volleyball coach Darrell Morken less than 48 hours after he criticized a report about the dispute last fall over gym scheduling between the volleyball and boys' basketball teams.
As reported by the Richmond Palladium-Item, the Richmond Community School District hired Jonathan Mayes of Indiana law firm Bose McKinney & Evans LLP to look into the issue.
It was the first time Morken publicly spoke out in defense of his team since the incident first became public. The Mayes report was outlined at a school board meeting two weeks earlier, on March 5.
Related: Attorney Shares Findings of Probe Into Confrontation Over School's Gym Scheduling
In his official statement over the weekend after news of his firing became public, Morken said: "I am disappointed and surprised by their response to a truth-filled public comment that informed the school board of the actual events. For the school board to be misled by the attorney's half-truth would have been a total disservice to the young women on the volleyball team and to future female athletes. This is a systemic problem that must be addressed."
According to Evan Weaver of the Palladium-Item, Morken said school board members were reportedly upset after what he had said at the meeting because they had "not received all the facts" from Mayes' report, and they did not know that he was fired Friday until after it became public knowledge.
Morken said he was told by high school principal Rae Woolpy and athletic director Robert Lee that his firing did not have anything to do with the school board meeting or complaints from players, and that his firing is instead to "take the program in a new direction."
Upon Morken's return to the program after being suspended last fall, he led his team to its first North Central Conference Championship in more than two decades, Weaver reported. Morken was also recognized by the Richmond High School athletic department at the end of last season for being voted North Central Conference 2024 Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Morken's job as a physical education teacher at Richmond Community Schools is not affected, he said.
When Mayes presented his findings to the board three weeks ago, Morken was there to celebrate Richmond's swimming teams and was unaware that Mayes was going to be there, Weaver reported.
"He totally failed to present an accurate picture of the situation," Morken told the board last week, as reported by the Palladium-Item. "His presentation was totally focused on the interaction between the volleyball team and the basketball team on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Let's be clear, his investigation was not a Title IX investigation. He was looking at the interaction with a focus on someone to blame.
"My issue was all the previous times leading up to it. It was all stuff that was totally neglected by him. My ending statement to the board was you need to ask for 75% of your money back because he only gave you 25% of the information he gathered. That was not fair at all."
Per Weaver's reporting, Morken said the Sept. 24 incident was the culmination of many other scheduling changes, as well as the refusal of the boys' basketball team to leave the Tiernan Center on the night of a volleyball game.
"His presentation made it sound like the volleyball team being moved was a one-time occurrence," Morken said. "That is a far cry from the actual reality. He failed to mention the removal of the volleyball team on Sept. 10. Both the volleyball teams were on the court and were asked to leave the main court to go to the back gym. Twenty-four kids to one volleyball court that was to allow 12 basketball players to play on the main floor."
"Morken said he understood that athletic directors across the state prioritize what sports draw the most money, but he said the girls' teams still can't be treated differently because of Title IX," Weaver wrote.
In Mayes' summary, provided to the Palladium-Item via a public records request, Mayes recommended "appropriate personnel action" be taken against Morken for his "unprofessional behavior" on Sept. 24.
Per Weaver's reporting:
The report also recommended to avoid last-minute scheduling changes for practices without consulting all affected teams. Before approving schedule changes, the report recommended Lee also review all concerns from affected head coaches.
No action was recommended to be taken against any member of the boys' basketball team.
A Title IX audit being conducted by Church Church Hittle + Antrim, a law firm based out of Noblesville, is set to be completed in April or May. The agreement addresses eight scopes, including equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice time, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities and publicity.
