“Every year has its new challenges and the new gifts that it brings us all,” Megan Griffith began her response when asked how the lessons from last season’s journey would affect this year at last week’s Ivy League Media Day event.
No one on that call realized that one of the new challenges would be the 11th-year Columbia head coach having to deal with a three-game suspension to start the 2026-27 season.
On Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press broke the news that the suspension was due to an external review finding that the coach’s “interactions with the team did not align with expectations.”
“I fully respect the process of the University review and take complete responsibility for everything that happens in the program, including the times my conduct fell short,” Griffith said in a statement released by Columbia Athletics. “As the Head Coach and a former student-athlete at Columbia University, there is nothing more important to me than the success and well-being of my players.”
The review did not require notice to the NCAA of any rules violations and did not involve any allegations of violations of the university’s anti-discrimination policies, Title IX or related policies, per the university.
According to a Columbia source familiar with the situation, a complaint was sent to the university based on the coach’s behavior in practices from previous seasons. After the review, the suspension came from the athletics department, and it will be followed with supplemental coaching development.
Shortly after the news was announced, the current members of the women’s basketball team released their own statement of support for their leader.
“We are aware of the article that was published today and the suspension that was issued to Coach Griffith. This is not indicative of our experience as part of this program, which has been overwhelmingly positive. We fully stand with and support Coach Griffith. This program is a family, and we pride ourselves on being a supportive and inclusive environment for all.”
“We are ready to attack the season.”
2025-2026 co-captain and recent Columbia graduate Perri Page also backed her coach in a statement sent to the Columbia Spectator.
“My experience with Columbia Women’s Basketball was incredibly positive, and it remains a meaningful part of my life. Coach G is an exceptional coach and mentor who is deeply committed to helping her players grow both as athletes and as people,” Page wrote. “I am absolutely grateful for my time in the program and stand firmly by the positive impact she has had on my experience. Given the opportunity to do it all again, I would make the same decision without hesitation.”
Griffith will practice with the team but will not coach it for the first three games of the season, the Columbia source informed Ivy Hoops Online. She can be involved with every team activity other than coaching the games.
In Griffith’s absence, associate head coach Tyler Cordell will lead the coaching staff and make coaching decisions for the Education Day home opener against Davidson on Nov. 2, as well as two games in Nashville against Rhode Island and Belmont. There will be no change in Cordell’s coaching title during those contests.
The three-time captain and all-time winningest coach in program history will mark her return to the Levien Gymnasium sidelines on Nov. 12, when the Lions raise the banner for their 2026 WBIT championship and take on Michigan, the No. 5 team in ESPN’s Preseason Top 25. That highly anticipated matchup will be followed by a trip to No. 18 Maryland three days later and a home matchup against No. 4 Duke on November 21.
Facing a serious personal and professional challenge, which puts wins and losses in perspective, Griffith’s closing words about herself and her players to the Media Day question take on a deeper meaning a week later.
“Time is a gift. It’s our most precious commodity,” Griffith said. “If we can continue to look at time as a commodity and not just something we’re always going to have, I think we’ll be able to make the changes we need in real time to be the team we want to be.”