Wisconsin addresses Bo Ryan affair, says he did not use improper funds

Wisconsin addressed a report about an affair former basketball coach Bo Ryan had by saying the matter was personal and that the coach did not improperly use school funds at any point.

Ryan surprisingly stepped down as coach of the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team in mid-December after previously announcing he would step down at the end of the year. He said in his statement at the time that he wanted to give assistant Greg Gard a chance to coach the team.

Now a report from Deadspin published on Saturday says Ryan had an affair with a woman and that played a role in his resignation. The woman contacted the school via email and said she had recently broken off a six-year affair with Ryan. She wanted to share with the school why she thought he was unfit to be a leader and role model. She also alleged he used school funds to pay for her to accompany her on recruiting trips.

Wisconsin says they investigated the claims and found no wrongdoing by Ryan. Deadspin also says they investigated and found the same results.

The school’s chancellor sent this statement about the matter:

“In February, 2015, the University of Wisconsin-Madison received allegations related to the possible misuse of university resources and personal conduct of former Head Basketball Coach Bo Ryan. Prior to that Coach Ryan had disclosed to the university that he had had an improper personal relationship with a person unaffiliated with the university.

“The university’s Office of Legal Affairs and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics performed a thorough review after receiving this information. In this case, and in all others, the university takes conduct allegations seriously, reviews them thoroughly and takes action, when appropriate. These allegations did not involve any other member of the campus community beyond Bo Ryan.

“The university determined on May 13, 2015 that Ryan did not utilize university resources during the course of the relationship in question. The university concluded the issue was a private matter. Bo Ryan’s resignation on Dec. 15, 2015 was entirely his decision,” the chancellor said in her statement.

Wisconsin was 7-5 when Ryan stepped down. The Badgers have gone 13-5 under Gard.