Todd Woodcroft, the University of Vermont men’s hockey coach, was fired after an internal investigation found he sent inappropriate text messages to a student, university athletics director Jeff Schulman said at a press conference Wednesday.
The investigation by UVM’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity began shortly after a complaint was filed March 16, according to Schulman. A final report was completed Monday. The university terminated Woodcroft’s employment Tuesday, effective immediately and without compensation, Schulman said.
“There were text messages that were sent by Coach Woodcroft that were in violation of the university policy around professional boundaries and relationships with students, and they made the determination that it was no longer appropriate,” Schulman said at the press conference, which was held at Patrick Gymnasium.
Steve Wiedler, an associate head coach, has been named interim head coach for the 2023-24 season, Schulman said.
No members of the men’s hockey team have decided to leave the squad as a result of Woodcroft’s departure, according to Schulman, who said team members had reacted positively to news of Wiedler’s promotion.
UVM men’s hockey has at times been one of the top teams in the country. It has qualified for the NCAA championship tournament six times since the 1970s and made it to the finals — the Frozen Four — in 1996 and 2009.
Woodcroft was hired as UVM’s fifth head hockey coach in 2020, but his arrival did not revive UVM’s championship hopes. Woodcroft had a 20-55-9 record at UVM.
Before UVM hired him, Woodcroft spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets, and three seasons as scouting director and professional scout for the Calgary Flames.
Students and staff members were informed of Woodcroft’s termination Monday. During the investigation, Woodcroft had been ordered to work from home, according to Schulman, so Wiedler had been aware of the situation before Woodcroft was fired.
“I met with the team leaders to talk really openly about all of this and I have a ton of respect for how they handled themselves,” Schulman said. “They know what they can control and what they can’t control.”
Schulman refused to comment on when the text messages were sent or who received them. He said the student would not face any disciplinary action as a result of the investigation.
Woodcroft was never placed on administrative leave, and Schulman said he was not aware of any other student reports to the school about the coach’s behavior. However, he said other students could be involved.
“It’s not uncommon in a situation like this for there to be one student involved, but also witnesses and other students that are connected to the process,” he said.
Woodcroft’s lawyer, Andrew Miltenberg, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, in a statement to the Burlington Free Press, Miltenberg said, “We vehemently disagree with the process and the findings of a proceeding that lacked fundamental fairness and due process. We strongly believe the university’s decision was contrary to the facts and the law. We intend to pursue justice for Mr. Woodcroft, who has been an outstanding coach and community advocate for over two decades.”
Schulman said he was not aware of any immediate legal response from Woodcroft.
The university’s decision can be appealed only if a party can identify a procedural error, produce new evidence or find a clear abuse of discretion, such as a conflict of interest or bias, according to the University’s Operating Procedure related to Title IX Offenses Involving Employee Respondents.
In employee-respondent procedures, the university’s investigative process involves an initial meeting, a hearing and a determination of responsibility and sanctions, according to the document.
The athletics department has not recently conducted any other internal investigations, Schulman said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date the university said a complaint was filed against Woodcroft.
