Bryant coach Jared Grasso resigning after leave of absence

Bryant men’s basketball coach Jared Grasso, who has been on a leave of absence since September, is resigning from his position.

Grasso released a statement to ESPN announcing his decision.

“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my resignation as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Bryant University,” the statement said. “My role as a father and husband is everything to me. The rigors of a coach’s lifestyle and 3 young children can make that extremely challenging. My mental and physical health must come first at this time.”

“For the last 25 years I have chased this game relentlessly with a results-oriented mindset,” the statement continued. “My obsession and discipline with work, competition and winning championships is in my blood. But for now my mental health and surgically repaired back need to be tended to.”

Grasso began his leave of absence in late September, with the school providing no further details on the reasoning behind the leave. The Providence Journal reported it was unrelated to Grasso’s health or that of his family members.

In early October, Grasso was arrested for failure to stop for an accident resulting in damage to a vehicle, a misdemeanor charge. Those charges were dismissed last week.

Grasso, 43, took over at Bryant in 2018 after eight seasons under Tim Cluess at Iona. He guided the Bulldogs to an NCAA tournament bid and Northeast Conference regular-season and conference tournament titles in 2022, a season after finishing second in the league.

Phil Martelli Jr., who was the associate head coach under Grasso, has been serving as the program’s acting head coach. Bryant started the season 1-2, with a win over NAIA school Fisher and single-digit losses to Manhattan and Rutgers.