Tyler Summitt, son of legendary Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt, was announced as the Louisiana Tech Head Women’s Basketball Coach in 2014 at just 22 years old. This past Thursday, he resigned amid rumors after allegedly “engaging in a relationship” with a player. That’s when things started to blow up and rumors swirled before they were dispelled yesterday.
Ashley Santos, a 5-foot-11 guard who just finished her redshirt junior season, posted a photo on her Twitter account yesterday to stop the rumors that she was pregnant with what is allegedly Summitt’s child.
https://twitter.com/ASantos_33/status/718472522249805824
According to her parents, Santos felt she had to post the photo in order to prevent the rumors from escalating even further. The main rumor they’re referring to is that Summitt resigned amid rumors he had impregnated one of the two players who transferred from Marquette, Santos being one and Brooke Pumroy being the other.
Santos’ mother, Lori, said all of the players have been getting constant calls and messages about the rumors and asking for a response. As a result, Santos felt the need to share her side of the story in her own way.
“Ashley’s just an innocent bystander … ,’’ Jose Santos, Ashley’s father, told USA TODAY Sports. “People were asking if she was pregnant, so she defended herself. That’s all that it is.”
Pumroy had announced during the season she would forgo her final year of eligibility, but has not commented on the Summitt rumors. As of Friday, Santos’ apparently didn’t know where Pumroy was according to Santos’ parents.
“She hasn’t seen her,’’ Lori Santos said. “She hasn’t spoken to her. Nothing.”
Until a new head coach is found, associate head coach Mickie DeMoss has been announced as the interim head coach.
[USA Today Sports/Photo: USA Today Sports]
