After 22 seasons with the University of Alabama gymnastics team, assistant coach Bryan Raschilla has not renewed his contract for the 2018-2019 season.
The Crimson Tide finished their season ranked No. 8 in the nation after qualifying to NCAA championships but failing to make the Super Six final.
Apparently, head coach Dana Duckworth told Raschilla his contract was not going to be renewed on the Monday after the championships.
“There was an initial shock,” Raschilla said. “I’m not going to lie about that. A little scratching your head and going, ‘OK, did that just happen?’ And it did.”
While Alabama gymnastics has not released an official statement, TideSports.com received multiple statements from Duckworth.
“My decision was based on a continual assessment of this program and was made in the best interest of its ongoing success,” Duckworth said. She also stated…”We are thankful for all Bryan’s contributions to our program and his many years of service and wish him all the best going forward”.
Raschilla hopes to continue his coaching career with a different college gymnastics team.
I personally think it’s not fair that Raschilla was fired. I don’t know the details behind the firing, but it seems extremely harsh to fire a man that’s been with the program for 22 years. I hope Raschilla can find another coaching position that suits him well.