The Montana Grizzlies fired their head football coach, Robin Pflugrad, and athletic director, Jim O'Day, on Thursday amid floating sexual-assault rumors plaguing the team. The university, however, neither addressed the allegations nor even gave a specific reason for such a massive cleaning-house move in what is a bizarre time of year for this sort of thing.

Now, the Grizzlies, who Pflugrad so vociferously defended against allegations of sexual abuse and rape, want answers. They released a statement on the team's official website demanding as much. An excerpt:

"As student athletes of this university we are left without an answer as to why our two leaders, Coach Pflugrad and Jim O'Day, are gone," the letter reads. "These events have left us disappointed, saddened and stunned, but they have also provided us something else.

"We have been reminded of the commitment we made years ago, and supported by our families, to pursue excellence in the sport we love that led as from across the country and Montana to come here. Our responsibility to honor those who support us, our duty to respect the players and coaches who built the proud Griz tradition, and our unwavering appreciation of Griz Nation is now stronger and more deeply felt."

The din of noise pressuring the university to do something to explain its actions, which may very well have been justified, is mounting.

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