Patrick Chambers is out as Penn State men’s basketball coach

A Penn State internal investigation found "new allegations of inappropriate conduct by Chambers.”

Pat Chambers (left) arguing with a referee during Penn State's game against Iowa at the Palestra on Jan. 4.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

Published Oct. 21, 2020, 6:24 p.m. ET

Patrick Chambers is out as Penn State’s men’s basketball coach.

Penn State announced it had accepted Chambers' resignation Wednesday after what the school characterized as “an internal investigation of new allegations of inappropriate conduct by Chambers.”

The school specifically noted the new allegations surfaced after an article by the Undefeated detailed allegations by former Penn State basketball player Rasir Bolton about how Chambers had referenced a “noose” around Bolton’s neck during a conversation in January 2019.

Nittany Lions assistant coach Jim Ferry, a former Duquesne head coach, was named interim head coach for the 2020-21 season.

In nine seasons at Penn State, Chambers, an Episcopal Academy and Philadelphia Textile graduate and former Villanova assistant coach, had a 148-150 record. Penn State, featuring a slew of Philadelphia-area players, had been a lock for the 2020 NCAA tournament when the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The timing of this was a stunner, with practices having begun for the upcoming season. Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour told reporters on a Wednesday evening Zoom call that “NCAA matters were not part of this.” According to the Centre Daily Times, Barbour said she and Penn State president Eric Barron had received the internal investigation report in the last two weeks.

"I am so proud of all our program has accomplished these past nine years, and I will be forever grateful to the Penn State community for its ongoing support,'' Chambers said in a statement to the Daily Times. "Anyone who has ever coached – especially at this level – knows the exceptional amount of energy and focus it takes to deliver each and every day.

“This has been an incredibly difficult year for me and my family, and we are in need of a break to reset and chart our path forward. So, I’m taking a step back to prepare myself for the next 20 years. And while I do, I’ll celebrate all we accomplished.”