Tony Bennett Candidly Details His Abrupt Decision to Step Down as Virginia Coach

The longtime Cavaliers coach discussed what led him to retire.

Tony Bennett in 2024. / Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Entering Thursday, Virginia fans thought Tony Bennett would be their men's basketball coach in 2024-'25—as he has been every year since 2010.

That will no longer be the case, as Bennett shocked college hoops fans Thursday by retiring at the age of 55.

On Friday, Bennett detailed the reasoning behind his decision at a press conference in Charlottesville, Va.

"I looked at myself and I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment. If you’re gonna do it, you’ve gotta be all-in," Bennett told reporters via ESPN's Jeff Borzello. "If you do it half-hearted, its not fair to the university and those young men."

Tony Bennett: "I looked at myself and I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment. If you’re gonna do it, you’ve gotta be all-in. … If you do it half-hearted, its not fair to the university and those young men ... That’s what made me…

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 18, 2024

Bennett is hardly the first coach to inveigh against the consequences of increased player agency in college athletics, though he did clarify that he supported revenue sharing with players—a practice scheduled to formally begin in time for the 2026 academic year, once House v. NCAA is resolved.

"The game and college athletics are not in a healthy spot. I think I was equipped to do the job the old way," Bennett said via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Tony Bennett: "The game and college athletics are not in a healthy spot. I think I was equipped to do the job the old way."

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 18, 2024

Taking everything into consideration, Bennett seemed just to sense that it was time to go.

"It wasn’t until fall break where (my wife) Laurel and I went away and just kind of processed what the future would be," Bennett said via Borzello. "And that’s where I came to the realization that I can’t do this. It’s not fair to these guys, to this institution I love so much, to continue on where you know you’re not the right guy for the job."

Tony Bennett: "It wasn’t until fall break where Laurel and I went away and just kind of processed what the future would be. And that’s where I came to the realization that I can’t do this. It’s not fair to these guys, to this institution I love so much, to continue on where you…

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 18, 2024

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