JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Jason Shay has resigned after one season as head coach of the men’s basketball team at East Tennessee State.
Athletic director Scott Carter said Shay told him earlier Tuesday of his intention to resign.
“I fully respect Coach Shay’s decision and have accepted his resignation,” Carter said in a statement. “Coach Shay is part of our championship history at ETSU, and I thank him and his family for the effort they have given to our university.
Shay spent six seasons with ETSU, his first five as an assistant and one as head coach. He replaced Steve Forbes, who left for Wake Forest last year, but Shay said he decided it was in the best interest of himself and his family and also the ETSU program for him to resign.
“This past year has been extremely challenging for me in many different ways,” Shay said. “It is the right time for a new challenge and an opportunity to reset my personal and professional goals.”
The Bucs went 13-12 under Shay after they won 30 games and the Southern Conference tournament championship under Forbes.
Shay and his players also were criticized, including by some Republican Tennessee state lawmakers, for the team’s decision to kneel during the national anthem before a game in February.