Amid controversy, Portland leaves

She had 600 wins with the Nittany Lions but two consecutive losing seasons at the end.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Rene Portland turned Penn State into one of the top programs in women's college basketball.
In the end, her highly successful 27-year tenure as Lady Lions coach may be remembered just as much for allegations that she may have discriminated against lesbian players.
Penn State announced Portland's resignation Thursday, more than a month after the coach and university settled a lawsuit from a former player who claimed Portland had a "no-lesbian" policy on her team.
"This was obviously a difficult decision," Portland said in a statement in which she made no mention why she was stepping down.
Athletic director Tim Curley said Portland was not forced to resign, and that he wasn't surprised by her decision.
"I am very appreciative of the opportunity to coach at Penn State, which has become a special place for me and my family," she said. "I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish with the Lady Lion program through the years."
Players not available
Players, including former Ursuline High standout Tyra Grant, who is a freshman at Penn State this season, were not made available by the university.
Portland compiled a 606-236 record at Penn State, and earlier this season became the ninth women's basketball coach to win 600 games at one school. She had two years left on her contract.
Football coach Joe Paterno hired Portland at Penn State while he was also athletic director. Much like Paterno, she established a winning tradition in Happy Valley.
Portland exuded a confident -- and often cocky -- attitude as Lady Lions coach.
She had the resume to back up the swagger.
Penn State made 21 NCAA tournament appearances and advanced to the 2000 Final Four. The team often contended for the Big Ten title. She was a vocal proponent of Title IX, the federal law that mandates equality between men's and women's sports.
"All of us know of her many coaching accomplishments, and the impact she has made on basketball, Lady Lion basketball, women's athletics and on the many outstanding student-athletes she positively impacted," Curley said.
But the program slipped in recent seasons. Penn State fell to 13-16 in 2005-06 -- the Lady Lions' first losing season in 33 years -- and finished 15-16 this season.
Controversy
Allegations from former player Jennifer Harris dogged her, too.
In a December 2005 lawsuit, Harris accused Portland of "humiliating, berating and ostracizing" her, and claimed she was told that she needed to look "more feminine." The suit alleged Portland tried to force Harris, who says she is not gay, to leave the team.
Portland maintained Harris' departure was purely related to basketball issues and disagreed with the school's findings.
At a news conference Thursday at Beaver Stadium, Curley deferred when asked what affect the Harris lawsuit had on the program, citing confidentiality requirements associated with the settlement.
Rumors swirled for days that Portland might soon be out, though several people close to the program said neither Portland nor the team made mention of her departure, and that Portland had talked about the future at Penn State as late as early Wednesday night.
Portland submitted her resignation that evening, Penn State said in a statement.
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