Hartford head coach John Gallagher has resigned, one day before the program’s final season in Division I was set to begin.
Gallagher informed school president Greg Woodward on Monday that he was stepping down from his position and accused the university of breaching his contract and jeopardizing player safety and well-being.
Hartford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his resignation letter, a copy of which ESPN obtained, Gallagher said the university did not send a trainer to Hartford’s preseason scrimmage against Dartmouth. During the scrimmage, Gallagher wrote, a Hartford player was injured and did not receive timely treatment.
“At least one parent has expressed outrage at this situation,” Gallagher wrote. “This is something that I, as a coach, cannot tolerate.”
Gallagher also stated that the school has not provided any arrangements for the program to pay for student-athlete meals when on the road.
Hartford’s board of regents voted in May 2021 to transition the school’s athletic programs from Division I to Division III. The men’s basketball program, formerly a member of the America East Conference, is competing this season as an independent. The university announced over the summer it had been accepted as a member of Division III’s Commonwealth Coast Conference beginning in 2023-24.
Gallagher reportedly sued a member of the university’s Board of Regents in August, alleging that he declined in the spring of 2021 to join Porter Moser’s staff at Oklahoma as an assistant coach after receiving assurances Hartford would remain in Division I.
Gallagher joined Hartford in 2011, leading the Hawks to a surprise run through the America East Conference tournament and their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2021. Hartford finished above .500 in four of the last five seasons under Gallagher.