Ex-players allege improprieties by Minnesota women's tennis coach.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Ben Goessling and Bob Sansevere

ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Four University of Minnesota women's tennis players left the team in the past year because of what they deemed inappropriate behavior by coach Tyler Thomson and the lack of action against him by the university and athletics director Joel Maturi.

After bringing their concerns to Maturi or associate athletics director Karen Weaver privately at different points last year, Jeannette Cluskey, Amy Thomas, Valerie Vladea and Brandi Watts said, they have decided to speak publicly now that their scholarship issues have been completed. Among their individual claims were that Thomson:

_ Told Cluskey he had problems with intimate relationships with women and, because he had difficulties relating to women, wanted her to e-mail him after every practice to tell him how he was doing;

_Told other team members they should not have boyfriends and, in one case, told a player she wore too much makeup;

_Showed the team a movie, "Being There," which has a female masturbation scene;

_Singled out certain players with hurtful comments.