Chapman Baseball Coach On Leave For Alleged Profanity
IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — A baseball coach at an Orange County university has been put on leave amid charges he allegedly used profanity in front of his players, according to reports.
Tom Tereschuk, head coach of the men's baseball team at Chapman University, was reportedly placed on leave March 28 over allegations that he violated university policy, according to school's newspaper The Panther.
A Chapman senior and former baseball player alleges that Tereschuk "used profanity in the presence of team members and spectators," The Panther reported. Reporting for CBS2, Melissa Maynarich said the former player, Michael Newman, told the paper, "He screamed and cussed at me on the field and called me useless. If a player messed up, he would belittle them until he got it all out of his system … If he was caught doing what he did, he would have been fired a long time ago."
A second student and current player under Tereschuk confirmed the allegations with The Panther on the condition of anonymity.
While there has been no comment from Tereschuk, a Facebook group has signaled their support for the coach, who was named "Best Coach" in Orange County in 2011 by the OC Weekly.
Tereschuk also became the first Chapman baseball coach ever to top 300 wins, accomplishing the feat in just nine seasons on his way to becoming the school's all-time winningest coach.
The group named "We Stand Behind Coach T!" calls for Tereschuk's supporters to contact the school's dean, Daniele Struppa, "to make the Chapman University administration aware of the great support he has in the community."
It was unclear how long the investigation - and Tereschuk's leave - would continue.
The allegations surfaced days before Rutgers University fired basketball coach Mike Rice after a videotape was uncovered showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players and using gay slurs during practice.
