Wheeling University’s women's rugby team withdrew from the 2025 National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I National Championship in early December.
WHEELING — Former Wheeling University women’s rugby coach Ken Pape has filed a civil lawsuit against the school and its athletic director, alleging he was wrongfully terminated following an incident involving alcohol use by legal-age players and that his firing violated the terms of his coaching contract.
Pape
Pape was dismissed from his position in early December, shortly before his team was scheduled to play in a national championship match. The team withdrew from the 2025 National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I National Championship as well. The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) replaced Wheeling to play Southern Nazarene in the final. Wheeling had earned their spot by defeating Penn State in the semifinals.
The complaint, filed in Ohio Circuit Court, seeks a jury trial and full compensation for damages, losses and expenses that he says stem from his termination.
The lawsuit lists Wheeling University and Athletic Director Carrie Hanna as defendants and argues that the dismissal violated the terms of his employment contract.
According to the lawsuit, Pape was informed the decision to fire him was based on his alleged approval of alcohol use by team members who were at least 21 years old following a victory.
He claims he was told he failed to notify Hanna after the Nov. 16 incident, an assertion he says is false, according to The Times Leader.
The filing states that the day after a Nov. 15 match, a team captain, who was 21 years old, asked to drink socially with family and friends to celebrate.
Pape reportedly denied the request for that night because the following day was reserved for recovery but later allowed players of legal drinking age to consume alcohol on Nov. 16 in accordance with university policies.
The complaint says Pape maintained a team rule barring any alcohol use during the season but acknowledged modifying it for players of legal age for the specific celebration, while stressing that underage athletes were prohibited from drinking. He contends that he neither encouraged nor permitted underage drinking.
The lawsuit also asserts that the university’s own policies allow students 21 and older to drink on campus, that the employee handbook does not address legal-age alcohol consumption, and that there is no code of conduct specific to athletic coaches.
Based on those claims, Pape argued he did not violate any university or athletic-department policy.
Pape further alleges his termination breached his coaching contract, which he says included provisions for salary, bonuses and staffing but did not contain a clause allowing early dismissal for cause.
He claims to have exceeded expectations in his role and argues the university improperly ended his employment based on conduct that did not violate written policy.
The lawsuit also claims Hanna looked for reasons to dismiss him because he raised issues about his players’ living conditions, dining services, facility access and other concerns.
He contends the investigation into the November alcohol incident violated the university’s written procedures and that the athletic director interfered with his employment.
Pape says he also has personal property still on campus that he has not been permitted to retrieve.
Multiple rugby sources previously reported Pape had been removed from the coaching staff during the postseason, after players sought to celebrate a semifinal victory, according to the Goff Rugby Report.
His departure came just months after leading the relatively new program to rapid success, including a national championship the previous season, the Goff Rugby Report noted.
