Tuesday's firing of Ball State University women's tennis coach Kathy Bull was more than five months in the making. Below is a timeline of the events that transpired to lead up to the Bull's firing according to documents obtained from the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
May: Bull informs the team that they will be required to report their training on a weekly basis over the summer, in direct violation of NCAA bylaws.
June 8 and July 23: Bull emails the team stating her disappointment in the team's lack of reporting and lack of participation in competitions.
July 2: Bull is offered a contract to coach the Ball State women's tennis team for the 2009-2010 season.
August: A member of the coaching staff of another Ball State sport informs Bull that they wouldn't suggest her mandatory 1 ½ miles timed run scheduled for August 23.
Aug. 14: Bull signs 2009-2010 fiscal year contract worth $55,181.
Aug. 20: The Daily News writes a story about the summer program Bull has created with her athletes in which Bull confirms the summer program.
Aug. 23 (the day before the start of the fall semester): Bull requires the entire team to run a timed 1 ½ mile, in violation of NCAA bylaws.
Aug. 23-29, Aug. 30-Sept. 5: The team practiced more than the allowed eight hours per week each of the two weeks. Bull required the team to volunteer at the USTA Girl's Tournament at Cardinal Creek. Since it was required, the athletes' time volunteering counted toward the eight total hours
Aug. 25: Bull sends a text message to three athletes asking them to misrepresent hours on the practice logs. The message said: "Need a favor. The first week of practice, would u 3 be comfortable saying that we did not practice on Tues and Thursday? I know we had a meeting on Tuesday but it does not count. The run has to be counted now."
Aug. 27: The coach that warned Bull that the timed run was a violation reported the violation to Associate Athletics Director in charge of compliance, Pat Quinn. The same coach also informed Quinn that Bull was in violation by requiring the athletes to report their summer workout to her.
Sept. 4: Bull self-reported the violation of making her athletes run a timed 1 ½ mile.
Sept. 8: Quinn informs Bull that the entire team is ineligible because of the violation of the mandatory run until the team is reinstated by the NCAA. Quinn also said the athletes could voluntarily workout but nothing mandatory would be allowed.
Sept. 8: Quinn meets with the entire team and informs them that they are ineligible and cannot have regular practice until they are reinstated.
Sept. 8: Bull sends two players a text message them asking if they could run the following day's practice.
Sept. 11: Bull confirmed in an interview with Quinn that she sent the text message asking the players to lie on the practice logs.
Sept. 28-29: Players and the graduate assistant coach, Amanda Pratzel interviewed by Quinn about the violations.
Oct. 12: Bull was sent a letter of all the violations and was asked to respond by October 15.
Oct. 13: Bull responds by letter to the violations.
Oct. 19: Quinn sends Michael Zonder, assistant director of enforcement for the NCAA, a list of all the violations Bull committed and the steps the university would take regarding the violations.
Oct. 20: Bull is relieved of her duties as the women's tennis coach.
*One violation states that while one player was at Ball State for summer orientation before her freshman year, she hit balls for about an hour while Bull watched which is in violation of NCAA bylaws. To keep this player anonymous, the year of the orientation was redacted from the document.
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