College of Charleston Coach Doug Wojcik Fired Following Investigation

The last couple of weeks for Doug Wojcik had to make him feel like the criminal in some generic police serial drama.

Evidence was mounting, the dogs were tracking his scent, he was about to be pulled into the box and sweated by the chief detective. It was only a matter of time before the paper was put in front of him and he was asked to sign his confession.

That day came Tuesday as Wojcik was fired as the head coach at the College of Charleston after just two seasons. The announcement by school president Glenn McConnell came with a rider that the firing was for cause, a signal that the school will fight Wojcik over any buyout that the coach may demand.

The cause is one that has been heard more and more in the last few years: a coach being verbally and sometimes physically abusive of his players. In Wojcik's case, the allegations by some former players led to an investigation and a 50-page report detailing his alleged activities.

The accusations ranged from homosexual slurs, to defaming the intelligence of his players, to just general threats. It also didn't help that the smoking gun was released to the press, a video showing Wojcik throwing the basketball off of players in practice, and also strongly confronting a player on the bench during a game.

Maybe the accusations could have been overlooked had it not been for the video. Just ask Mike Rice how that affected him at Rutgers.

Wojcik had agreed to counseling and a 30-day suspension after the preliminary investigation was held. He was just five days into that suspension when this decision came down.

It certainly seems that this story won't be going away anytime soon either. Wojcik's lawyer has already come out attacking the president's statement, and basically accusing the school of trying to get out of paying the coach in any way possible.

The Cougars were 38-29 in two seasons under Wojcik. According to ESPN's Jeff Goodman, the school may be targeting former Charleston player Anthony Johnson, now a New Orleans Pelicans scout, for the head coaching spot.