new hires

Belmont University’s New Soccer Coach Heather Henson Isn’t A Dyke

After allegedly firing women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe for being a lesbian (or was it for having a lesbian partner who was pregnant? or was it telling her players about it?), Belmont University has hired her replacement. Her name is Heather Henson (pictured top), she spent the last twelve years as the head coach at East Tennessee State University, and here’s hoping she doesn’t like girls! (Hint: She doesn’t!)

Howe (pictured, below), who isn’t saying much publicly about her exit from the school, obviously won’t benefit from Belmont’s new gay-inclusive non-discrimination policy. But it is interesting to note the timing of her exit.

On Dec. 2, Belmont announced in a statement that Howe was leaving. But on Dec. 1, the day before, Henson in a statement announced her resignation from ETSU. Which very likely shows that while Belmont’s Athletics Director Mike Strickland was working to hire Henson, he was also pushing Howe out the door. (ETSU has since announced the hiring of a new coach.) Of course it’s also very likely Howe’s ousting was in the works for some time before the university issued its press release.

As for Henson? We have it on good authority she’s a hetero! According to her since-deleted (but still Google cached) bio on ETSU’s website, she’s married “to Chris Henson, ETSU’s Assistant Director of the Buccaneer Athletic Scholarship Association. The couple lives in Johnson City, Tenn., with their daughter Callie.” But I’m sure that wasn’t a factor in the hiring process.

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