Tennessee State University put athletics director Mikki Allen on administrative leave Thursday, nearly two months after six head coaches sent a letter to the university president stating they had lost confidence in the department's leadership.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, TSU president Dwayne Tucker made the decision after starting an internal investigation in late May, when he received the letter signed by men's basketball coach Nolan Smith, football coach Reggie Barlow, women's basketball coach Candice Dupree, track coach Chandra Cheeseborough, volleyball coach Donika Sutton and softball coach Genee McRath.
"This group of coaches makes the situation stand out from a typical personnel issue," wrote SI's Kyle Mosley. "Allen himself hired four of the six coaches who signed the letter: Barlow, Smith, Dupree, and McRath. It is especially notable when an athletic director's own hires sign a no-confidence letter."
Per Mosley, the coaches said they were worried about the “current direction, leadership, communication, and operational management of the athletic department” under Allen. Other reports pointed to problems with fairness and support for different teams, and not enough teamwork between administrators and coaches at the HBCU in Nashville.
“We were made aware of multiple concerns surrounding the leadership of the TSU athletic department through an open letter from six head coaches on May 28, 2026,” Tucker said in a statement, as reported by SI. “I took these concerns very seriously and immediately launched an internal investigation. Effective today, TSU athletic director Dr. Mikki Allen has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.”
Tucker said an interim athletic director will be named soon. According to Mosley, "He did not discuss the investigation's findings, saying it is a personnel matter, but stressed that TSU is taking the situation seriously and wants to treat everyone involved with care."
