Assistant won't return to Georgia men's tennis program

Following the launch of a prescription drug theft investigation, the Georgia men's tennis program has parted ways with assistant Bo Hodge.

UGA posted an assistant men’s tennis coach job ad early Thursday morning. An individual with knowledge of the situation confirmed this meant Hodge will not return next season. Hodge spent two years as an associate head coach under head coach Manny Diaz. In college, Hodge played for Diaz from 2001-04 and was a four-year All-American.

During the first weekend of the 2017 NCAA Championships, it was revealed Hodge was suspended in relation to an alleged prescription drug theft that Diaz reported to campus police on May 7.

No details were revealed in the initial incident report, other than a “possible theft and mishandling of prescription medication involving a number of individuals within the tennis program.” Women's tennis assistant Drake Bernstein was also suspended at the time of the alleged incident.

Despite the potential distraction taking place when it did, the Georgia men’s tennis team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Championships. The 13th-seeded Bulldogs defeated No. 4 seed USC 4-3 and upended No. 5 seed UCLA 4-2.

Georgia then lost a thrilling 4-3 match to No. 9 seed North Carolina in the semifinals.

With Hodge suspended, Georgia brought back former assistant Will Glenn to serve in that capacity. Former player Javier Garrapiz also assisted the men's tennis team during its tournament run.

As for any findings of the UGA police department’s investigation, that has yet to be determined. No other documents have been made available via open records requests at this time.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Assistant won't return to Georgia men's tennis program."