Former Connecticut head coach Bruce Marshall confirmed to the Hartford Courant that the reasons he stepped down as the Huskies’ coach this season revolved around a divorce from his wife and a trip to alcohol rehabilitation.
According to the story, Marshall’s wife, Kathy, filed divorce papers last July 11. Marshall then entered rehab, but said the dates of the divorce and rehab were coincidental and not related.
“I made a decision that I needed to take a step back and reassess what was important in my life,” Marshall told the Courant. “Obviously, a career, but more importantly my health, my family and taking care of my kids. Would July 1 have been better? You know, in the end it doesn’t matter when you make that decision to get your hands around something.
“I made the decision, let’s attack it. Let’s get after it. I needed to go somewhere to get back to my real core values. I took some time to address my challenges instead of trying to get through the season and crashing. I took control of it. It was something I didn’t want to become astronomical.”
Marshall resigned from his 25-year coaching post in January and David Berard has coached the team on an interim basis. He had taken a medical leave of absence for undisclosed reasons in November.
“This was a Bruce Marshall decision, what was best for my family,” Marshall added. “There was no pressure whatsoever [by the school to step down]. I was looking at myself, asking, where do I want to be four-five years from now? I had full support of the athletic department and the administration to address what I needed to address. During that time, it gave me more time to be with my family. I have kids that go from 8 to 16 and I had been doing this all-out since I was 25.
“I was able to go to a middle school basketball game. I actually tied my daughter’s skates and didn’t have to say ‘I’ll pick you up in an hour because I have to meet a recruit.’ I’m making great strides here and I want to continue these strides. Jumping right back into the fire may not be the way to make great strides. This is a chance for a new beginning. And with the support of the university, Kathy and the kids, I’m going to take this new beginning. I’m 50. Maybe the next 25 years I do something else. It’s a positive opportunity.”
