Official word concerning Bret Campbell

I copied the press release from UT Martin concerning the recent resignation of men's basketball coach Bret Campbell.
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UT MARTIN OFFICIALS STAND BEHIND DECISION INVOLVING COACH'S RESIGNATION MARTIN, Tenn. — University of Tennessee at Martin officials stand behind a decision to accept the resignation of head men's basketball coach Bret Campbell. Campbell's resignation came Friday following the June 3 release of a University of Tennessee internal audit report outlining Campbell's violation of numerous university policies related to basketball camps operated by the university.

The report also cited a contract between Campbell and Anaconda Sports that did not have university approval. "University funds diverted from university accounts is a problem," said Dr. Tom Rakes, UT Martin chancellor. "The audit report speaks for itself, and if Coach Campbell had chosen not to resign, the university would have had no choice but to end his employment." Campbell was told late in 2008 by Phil Dane, UT Martin director of intercollegiate athletics, about the serious implications of his (Campbell's) actions and the related audit. The UT report stated that the audit was triggered by a review at a local high school showing "that a client's check made payable to UTM for a summer basketball camp had been cashed by Mr. Bret Campbell, head basketball coach at UTM."

The audit went on to report that Campbell cashed and/or deposited 71 camp-related checks made out to the university totaling $21,145 into a personal account, a violation of university policy and procedures.

"Coach Campbell deposited university funds into his bank account, and he did so knowing that he was breaking numerous policies," Dane said. "He claims these were not university funds, that they were camp funds. The checks were made payable to the University of Tennessee at Martin. They belonged in a university account." Dane added that the university sets policies and procedures for managing resources, "and it's our responsibility as stewards of those resources to follow those policies until they are changed." "When people break those policies without approval, they are taking the risk of being disciplined in accordance with personnel policies that address those actions," Dane said. "Those policies are there to ensure that we don't lose the trust of those who make our jobs possible."