The assistant women’s bowling coach at Stephen F. Austin University, who is married to the head coach, resigned after his affair with a student-athlete came to light, officials said Thursday.
When officials at the school in Nacogdoches, Texas, learned about the relationship in April, athletic director Ryan Ivey confronted assistant coach Steven Lemke, 38, who did not deny the relationship, officials said.
Given the option of resigning or having the school fire him, Lemke chose the former.
“Mr. Lemke is no longer an employee of the university,” said the university’s chief marketing officer, Graham Garner. “He chose to resign, so we consider the matter closed.”
Amber Lemke, who remains the head coach, filed for divorce against her now-estranged husband on April 27, according to court records.
The athlete was not publicly identified. Garner said this past bowling season was her senior campaign.
Women’s bowling is one of the campus’ most competitive sports, as the Ladyjacks were NCAA runners-up to McKendree University last season. Also last year, the Ladyjacks won the Intercollegiate Team Championship, considered an equal title to the NCAAs.
Steven Lemke and Amber Lemke could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
Steven Lemke acknowledged the relationship to The Daily Sentinel newspaper of Nacogdoches, saying it was between consenting adults.
“I knew it was kind of a no-no but there’s not a rule saying it can’t happen,” he told the newspaper. “There’s not a law saying I’m going to go to jail for doing something like this. There’s nothing in stone. I guess it’s just an ethics code, like we frown upon it, but there’s no rule, there’s no law broken.”
Source – NBC News
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