DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says his relationship with a former top administrator deteriorated after he informed her that after a reorganization of the athletic department, she no longer would be his second-in-command.

Testifying Friday in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former administrator Jane Meyer, Barta said the two initially had a strong working relationship but that she became antagonistic after he told her in 2013 that he’d look for a new deputy director. Barta said he based his decision, in part, because he believed the head football and wrestling coaches wouldn’t support Meyer.

Meyer’s lawsuit alleges she suffered workplace discrimination as a gay woman in a relationship with a coach, that the school retaliated against her and that she was paid less than a male counterpart.