Former Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson used his department’s funding to hire an attorney to represent two student-athletes who were accused of sexual misconduct, and then failed to sever ties with the attorney when asked to do so, the university said in a statement provided to The Washington Post.

The athletics department paid $15,000 to The Sports Group, with the money coming from Anderson’s discretionary account. The account is funded by money donated by boosters, the Post said.

Anderson, who took a six-month sabbatical last October, ended up resigning in April for reasons that haven’t been made public.

The allegations of sexual misconduct by the players precede recent events that have left Maryland’s football program reeling. College sports is a cesspool of corruption.