Gophers men’s basketball center Reggie Lynch was recommended for expulsion by the University’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office on Tuesday after an investigation from a April 7, 2016 sexual misconduct case, the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reported. This is the third time the EOAA has investigated Lynch for sexual misconduct.
The recommendation for expulsion comes less than a week after a recommendation for a two-year suspension by the same office, due to a separate April 28, 2016 allegation of sexual misconduct, the Pioneer Press reported. Lynch was suspended from playing but was allowed to practice with the team and stay on campus by athletics director Mark Coyle, Coyle announced in a press conference on Friday.
“The University understands and shares the frustration that it cannot share more information,” Coyle said in a statement Tuesday. “However, federal privacy protections prohibit the University from sharing information related to any specific student discipline matter.”
Lynch appealed the previous suspension and has five week days to appeal the latest, according to the Star Tribune.
Lynch was the 2016-17 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after sitting out the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules. He came to the Gophers from Illinois State.
“We do a lot of background and we never saw any red flags leading up to this, certainly,” head coach Richard Pitino said Friday, when asked about recruiting Lynch.
Coyle declined to comment on specifics of the first case in a Friday press conference, citing student privacy laws.
Lynch’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, announced on Twitter he would host a press conference to address concerns on Wednesday at 1 p.m.