Texas Wesleyan University coach passes on recruiting student from Colorado due to pot laws

(KCNC)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – A Colorado high school student is focused on getting onto a good college baseball team, but the state in which he lives was the reason for one coach to pass on recruiting him.

Gavin Bell, 18, told KCNC he received a surprising response from a coach in Texas.

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“He said, 'Thank you for the interest in the school, but they do not recruit out of Colorado anymore because of people not passing drug tests from their teams, and he said you can thank your liberal politicians for that,'" Bell said. “I didn't know what to think, to be honest."

Presumably, Jeffcoat is referring to Colorado's legalization of marijuana, but Bell said, “That’s not what I’m about.”

Bell shared the email with his teacher and coaches and since then, it has been shared publicly.

Bell says the response has been overwhelming and not at all what he was intending.

"My intention really wasn't to do anything to hurt anybody or get anybody fired, it was just me talking to my coaches and my loved ones about what do I do with this," Bell said.

Texas Wesleyan University officials issued this statement Wednesday: "We are aware of the email sent by our baseball coach, and the comments he made are in no way a reflection of Texas Wesleyan University, its values or its recruiting practices."

KXAS is now reporting that Jeffcoat is no longer employed at the university. 

Wesleyan's President Fred G. Slabach said Jeffcoat was let go because of the email and also due to rule violations of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. KXAS noted Slabach couldn't provide details since that investigation was ongoing. The violations had to do with the eligibility of players, Slabach said.