INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) – Bullying from some players’ parents and other critics of the program have driven two girls basketball coaches away from their coaching jobs at district schools in the northeast Iowa city of Independence.

Assistant coach Rob Ratchford said Monday that he and head varsity coach Rod Conrad had endured too many menacing or irate phone calls before and after games.  Ratchford says “there were threats made, you know, about wanting to fight and stuff like that.”

Ratchford says he’s happy with how the district handled the situation. District officials have declined to comment.