Minnesota athletic director resigns over 'inappropriate' drunken texts

Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague abruptly resigned Friday and said he would seek treatment for problems with alcohol.

Teague's resignation follows a pair of recent incidents of sexual harassment involving two non-student university employees, university president Eric Kaler said.

“At a recent university event, I had entirely too much to drink," Teague told KARE-TV in Minneapolis in a prepared statement he read on camera. "I behaved badly towards nice people and sent truly inappropriate texts. I’m embarrassed and I apologize to everyone involved. This neither reflects my true character or the true character of this great, great university."

Teague's departure comes just three years after Minnesota hired him away from VCU. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Beth Goetz, a deputy athletic director.

Before coming to Minnesota, Teague had established himself as an up-and-coming athletic administrator because of his role in the success of the basketball program at VCU. He hired ultra-successful Shaka Smart and spearheaded fundraising efforts that helped the Rams not only reach the 2011 Final Four but also emerge as a national program with staying power in years to come.

In his three years in Minneapolis, Teague fired Tubby Smith, hired Richard Pitino and worked to rase money to help Minnesota build athletic facilities competitive with those at other Big Ten institutions. The school is still in the midst of raising $190 million for facilities that include a new basketball practice facility and football training facility.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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