Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie has been placed on temporary administrative leave as the university investigates an anonymous complaint, the school announced Friday.
No details of the nature of the complaint were immediately available, and there is no timeline on how long the investigation may take. Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien has taken over as acting head coach.
The school said it would not comment further.
Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment while he was the coach at Texas Tech in 2011 and 2012. He resigned as the Red Raiders coach — citing health concerns — in September 2012. The resignation came about a month after the school said it was investigating the claims, which stemmed from Texas Tech players expressing concerns about the way they were being treated by Gillispie.
Questions about Gillispie’s coaching style also were made during his time at Kentucky, including the treatment of players and staff in the athletic department. He was fired in 2009, with Kentucky athletic director saying Gillispie “wasn’t the right fit for the program.” A $3 million settlement over his firing was reached later that year.
Gillispie, 65, is in his sixth season at Tarleton State, the longest of his five Division I head coaching stints, which also include time at UTEP and Texas A&M.
He is 78-74 at Tarleton State, including a 25-10 record in 2023-24 and a CIT appearance. He has gone 226-182 in 13 seasons as a head coach with four NCAA tournament appearances.
Cyprien is a longtime college assistant with stops that include UNLV, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Texas Tech.
