Source: SEC Network

Monday’s Florida-Auburn softball game ended in controversy after an exchange between Florida coach Tim Walton and Auburn infielder Haley Fagan.

When Fagan refused to shake Walton’s hand, he put his hand up and slightly pushed her shoulder. She responded by shoving him in the back. Walton turned around and the two exchanged words. Fagan continued to yell at Walton and had to be held back by her teammates.

While it’s unclear what prompted this exact exchange, Fagan’s sisters, Kasey and Sami, used to play for Walton at Florida, but were suspended and then dismissed by the coach in 2012 for reasons that are still unclear.

The Fagans’ father, Kevin, told The Gainesville Sun at the time that they were suspended due to an “altercation” and wouldn’t return to Florida.

Fagan said the release stemmed from “an altercation on the team.”

“The team sort of divided and Walton felt like it was in his best interest to get rid of those three,” he said.

After Florida lost 2-1 to Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, Walton said the three players were “suspended indefinitely until the end of the season.”

But Kevin Fagan left little wiggle room when asked if the events this week marked the end of his daughters’ relationship with the program.

“I’ve scheduled an appointment with the athletic director, but yes, they’re done there,” he said. “They won’t play there anymore.”

According to Alligator Army, Sami Fagan appeared at a party in a cartoon-ish Native American costume. Another player at that party posted a picture of her and some of her teammates dressed in blackface, and apologized. However, Fagan said on Facebook that “racism and bullying” did not contribute to her suspension.

Because coaches don’t really have checks on their power in college athletics, we still don’t know what happened.

There is no word yet from Florida or Auburn on the altercation between Fagan and Walton.

[SEC Network]

About Kevin Trahan

Kevin mostly covers college football and college basketball, with an emphasis on NCAA issues and other legal issues in sports. He is also an incoming law student. He's written for SB Nation, USA Today, VICE Sports, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.