Texas Wesleyan coach fired after turning away Colorado recruit over state's pot laws

Texas Wesleyan University fired its baseball coach Thursday after he told a potential player he wouldn't be recruited because of marijuana laws in his home state.

The email was sent to a potential recruit from Colorado, where pot is legal, and quickly went viral when it was posted on social media on Wednesday by a Denver radio host. Former Texas Ranger Mike Jeffcoat had been the coach at the Fort Worth-based school since 2002.

The email in question by the coach said, “Thanks for the interest in our program. Unfortunately, we are not recruiting players from the state of Colorado. In the past, players have had trouble passing our drug test. We have made a decision to not take a chance on student-athletes from your state. You can thank your liberal politicians.”

Texas Wesleyan University's president said Thursday the school has players from Colorado on its teams and said it does not discriminate based on geographic location or political ideology. The president said he planned to reach out to the recruit and speak with him in the wake of Jeffcoat's firing.

"I want to make sure he knows that the comments contained in that email absolutely do not express the values of this university, and we would love to have Gavin here as a student," said Texas Wesleyan President Frederick G. Slabach.

The school also said it was investigating a separate undisclosed NAIA player eligibility violation involving Jeffcoat.