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The University of Maine at Fort Kent men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director resigned from the school on Wednesday, announcing his decision in a fiery email sent to members of UMFK’s faculty, including its president.
Tom Bird, who became the university’s men’s basketball coach in 2014, announced on Wednesday that he would be stepping down from the position, as well as leaving the assistant athletic director post.
“For the past eight years, I have tried my best to represent UMFK in the best manner I know how, by recruiting first and foremost, good human beings to our basketball program. While we had some amazing years the first 5-6, the last couple, combined with COVID have been tougher than ever,” Bird wrote in a Wednesday email.
“My goal was always to help young men, grow as humans and players and become men during their time here. To give them the best experience possible, not only with the academics and athletic careers, but by bringing them to places all around the country while maintaining their academic and athletic integrity. I didn’t feel like I could do the job I needed to be doing any longer, for a multitude of reasons.”