Former TCU Men’s Golf Coach Bill Montigel Sues TCU

A misunderstanding that has been brewing for more than a year has now escalated into a lawsuit that goes far beyond age discrimination and includes an allegation of rape.

On Monday, former TCU men’s golf coach Bill Montigel filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the university where he had worked since the 1980s. The civil suit was filed by Dallas attorney Rogge Dunn.

The crux of the 30-page lawsuit is that Montigel’s contract was not renewed in the spring of 2023 because he was 68 years old.

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Other allegations in the lawsuit include accusations that TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati retaliated against Montigel and fostered an “Animal House atmosphere.”

The lawsuit alleges that Donati’s department “has no concern for discrimination or sexual harassment.” Examples include Montigel’s claims that:

“During the March 2023 NCAA basketball tournament in Denver, a Frog Club fundraiser was accused of raping a coworker who woke up in her hotel bed with no idea how she got there. She reported the incident to Colorado police. Both Donati and (TCU associate athletic director for special projects) Michael Levy were present at the tournament in Denver when the inappropriate sexual harassment occurred.”

Donati did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

A spokesman for the TCU athletic department did not respond to a request for comment.

In March 2023, a member of the TCU athletic administration was charged with inappropriate conduct and immediately fired, according to people familiar with the alleged incident. There is no report of any TCU staff member being involved during that time period, when TCU was playing in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, according to the Denver Police Department.

This is the most damning allegation in the lawsuit.

Other allegations include:

“The athletic department leader — who was married — engaged in a sexual relationship with the wife of a highly decorated TCU coach, which led to his leaving TCU.”

“A senior athletic department official was caught in a compromising position in the press box with a woman who was the senior associate athletic director for student services.”

“During the March 2023 Big 12 basketball tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, a senior member of Donati’s staff became drunk and aggressive toward hotel staff because he had lost his room key. Hotel staff called security.

“This individual urinated in his pants, was completely unconscious, and had to be carried to a room. These drunken episodes at work were not unusual for this individual. Donati was present at the tournament in Kansas City and took no disciplinary action against this individual, who reported directly to Donati.”

Montigel was effectively told he would not return to TCU as men’s golf coach after the 2022-23 season. He spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant head coach at the University of California-Davis.

Montigel was 68 when he left TCU. At the time of his departure, TCU was still one of the better NCAA men’s golf programs.

His departure from the athletic department coincided with the departures of other notable coaches, including football coach Gary Patterson, baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, volleyball coach Jill Kramer and track and field coach Daryl Anderson.

Montigel did not want to retire. The two sides discussed potential compensation packages, but no agreement was reached.

“I am filing this lawsuit on behalf of all older workers who have experienced age discrimination in the workplace. I filed this lawsuit to hold TCU accountable for its actions,” Montigel said in a statement. “My passion is teaching students about golf and life. I have a lot of gas left in the tank.

“Donati assumed that because I was 68, I could no longer do my job — nothing could be further from the truth. It’s not easy to sue the school you love, but I want to shine a light on ageism and retaliation in the TCU athletic department.”

This story was originally published Jul 1, 2024 2:46 PM.