Texas Wesleyan University has fired its baseball coach after he told a high school player from Colorado that the team doesn’t recruit from the state because players there fail drug tests.
President Fred Slabach said Mike Jeffcoat, a former Major League pitcher, was fired Thursday both for his remark and amid an investigation into an NAIA violation regarding players’ eligibility.
The Houston Chronicle has confirmed the veracity of the email sent to Cherokee Trail High School senior outfielder Gavin Bell.
Bell initially reached out to Jeffcoat to inquire about the Texas Wesleyan baseball program.
‘Thanks for the interest in our program,’ Jeffcoat wrote in an email response that has since gone viral on Twitter. ‘Unfortunately, we are not recruiting players from the state of Colorado. In the past, players have had trouble passing our drug test. We have made a decision to not take a chance on student-athletes from your state. You can thank your liberal politicians. Best of luck wherever you decide to play.’
Texas Wesleyan University baseball coach and former Major League pitcher Mike Jeffcoat (left) does not want players from Colorado as he explained in his email to Gavin Bell (right)
Cherokee Trail High School player Gavin Bell was shocked by Jeffcoat’s response to his email
‘I’m just a high school student looking to play baseball somewhere,’ Bell told Denver’s ABC affiliate. ‘I’m a good student athlete. I am just sad he couldn’t take a chance on me.’
‘I’m not trying to get anybody in trouble here,’ Bell told Denver’s Fox 31. ‘My intention wasn’t trying to get this guy fired. My intention was just to try to play baseball.
‘This wasn’t meant to go viral for me or anything like,’ he continued. ‘I just sent it to a high school teacher of mine and it just went public like that.’
Allan Dyer, who coached Bell at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, told the Chronicle he was ‘shocked’ by the email.
Texas Wesleyan vice president John Veilleux told the paper that the school is ‘definitely aware’ of its existence
‘I’ve never seen a coach send an email like that to a kid,’ he said. ‘I was kind of shocked a coach would connect a political issue to a kid. … It just made no sense. The student has not been in trouble one time at our school.’
Veilleux also took issue with the email.
‘The comments he made are in no way a reflection of Texas Wesleyan University, its values or its recruiting practices,’ Texas Wesleyan vice president John Veilleux said.
Jeffcoat had a 10-year Major League career, most of which was spent as a reliever. The Pine Bluff, Arkansas native posted a career 4.37 earned-run average and never played in the postseason.
He’d been coaching at Texas Wesleyan since 2002 and sits as the program’s all-time leader in wins with a record of 529-358-1. The team has reached the NAIA National Championship Opening Round tournament eight times under Jeffcoat.
In 2012, Colorado made it legal for persons under the age of 21 to use recreational marijuana and own up to six plants.
Bell, a senior at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colorado has ‘not been in trouble one time,’ according to his high school coach Allan Dyer