Nebraska coach Connie Yori resigns after 14 seasons

Women's basketball coach Connie Yori abruptly resigned Tuesday after 14 seasons at Nebraska following an alleged investigation into how she treated her players.

In a statement released by the school, Yori said only that she was leaving for personal reasons and thanked athletic director Shawn Eichorst for his support and leadership.

''This has been a very challenging time for my family and in the best interest of all of us, this is the right decision,'' said Yori, who is in the midst of divorce proceedings.

The Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald both reported based on anonymous sources it did not identify that the university had investigated Yori's treatment of players after concerns bullying and disregard for players' well-being were raised in February by several players and some support staff members.

''We are aware of allegations involving our women's basketball program and since it is an employee personnel matter and involves our student's privacy, we cannot provide details,'' Eichorst said to the Journal Star.

Yori denied any wrongdoing and said she resigned for personal reasons.

''I vehemently deny the allegations,'' Yori said in a text message to The Associated Press.

Former Nebraska player Lindsey Moore told the World-Herald she was surprised by the allegations because she believes Yori was trying to help players improve. Moore graduated after the 2012-2013 season, but occasionally served as a practice player this season.

''I don't understand how someone can take her constructive criticism - to help them get better - as such a negative thing,'' Moore said. ''It's funny, I actually thought over the years Coach Yori had gotten softer from my freshman year to where she is now.''

Yori was the consensus coach of the year in 2010 after Nebraska went 32-2 after a 30-game winning streak and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. She was also the Big Ten Conference coach of the year in 2013 and 2014. Overall, she has a 475-306 record over 26 seasons as a head coach. She helped Nebraska to some of its most successful seasons ever, and finishes with a 280-166 record over 14 years along with nine trips to the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the Huskers finished 18-13 and just 9-9 in the Big Ten. They failed to reach the NCAA tourney for the first time in four seasons and were ousted in the first round of the WNIT postseason tournament by Northern Iowa.

Yori was receiving $732,913 base salary at Nebraska, and her contract had been extended to 2020 after last season.

Eichorst thanked Yori in a statement and said the search for her replacement would begin immediately.

''Coach Yori achieved great success in the program during her tenure and we appreciate her many contributions to the university,'' Eichorst said.