Longtime University of California women's swimming coach Teri McKeever was fired Tuesday following an investigation into alleged harassment, bullying and verbally abusive conduct, the school said in a statement.

McKeever led the Golden Bears to four NCAA team titles over 29 years. She also coached the U.S. women's swim team at the London Olympics in 2012, the first woman to serve in that role.

Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said in a letter to team and athletic staff that an investigative report by an independent law firm detailed 'numerous violations of university policies that prohibit race, national origin, and disability discrimination.'

He went on to add that 'the report also details verbally abusive conduct that is antithetical to our most important values.'

Knowlton said the 482-page report substantiated many allegations of unacceptable behavior and said it was in 'the best interests of our student-athletes, our swimming program and Cal Athletics as a whole' that the program part ways with McKeever.

The investigation followed a Southern California News Group probe in May that said McKeever 'allegedly verbally and emotionally abused, swore at and threatened swimmers on an almost daily basis, pressured athletes to compete or train while injured or dealing with chronic illnesses or eating disorders.'

McKeever has strongly denied the allegations in a statement released shortly after she was fired by the University. 

'During a 30-year career there are always those who take issue with my coaching style and me personally,' she began. 'I am a woman holding what is traditionally a man's job and double standards come with the territory. 

'I also know for those that struggled with my coaching, there were far more who had their lives positively changed by their experience. I greatly value the bonds I made with hundreds of young women and look forward to continuing to witness their successes.

'I deny and unequivocally refute all conclusions that I abused or bullied any athlete and deny any suggestion I discriminated against any athlete on the basis of race, disability or sexual orientation. 

'There were and should be consequences for violating team rules, not showing up for scheduled appointments, misusing resources, not giving an honest effort and behavior that was not congruent with their individual or our team goals. 

'But those consequences were not applied because of who someone was, only for what they did or didn’t do that hurt the team and the culture we were working hard to sustain.'

McKeever's lawyer, Thomas Newkirk, has confirmed that his client will be filing a lawsuit over the issue, with the former coach adding that she is the only female coach to be subjected to an investigation over 'every mistake made over 30 years'.

The allegations regarding McKeever first came to light in an Orange County Register report in 2022, in which they detailed at least nine swimmers making statements against