Mary Sullivan, the 32-year coach of the softball team who was fired July 20 following player complaints about her coaching and the team's overall performance, said last week that her termination was handled "awfully" by the Department of Athletics and called Athletic Director Sheryl Sousa's expectations "unrealistic." "[Sousa told me] 'This is a business,'" Sullivan said. "Loyalty means nothing."

After serving as softball coach, head volleyball coach for 25 years, assistant women's swim team and women's basketball team coach for three years, Sullivan said Sousa "fired [her] on the spot."

"Anyone who participates in athletics can tell you that they want to win," Sousa said in an interview Friday. "There is an expectation that our teams will do well."

Sousa declined to comment on any specifics of Sullivan's allegations or termination, citing University guidelines.

According to Sullivan, Sousa told her that the team's 20-24 record last season, improving from 9-27 the season before, was "not an accomplishment."

"Our athletic director expects us to be at least .500 and go to post-season play, which everyone wants to do, but it's not going to happen all the time," Sullivan said.

Several difficulties in the softball program's scheduling made a .500 record particularly difficult, Sullivan said. She cited obstacles including afternoon games, a long schedule, and the fact that players "cannot make up their [academic] work" after the season, as they could do if they played in the fall or spring seasons.

"We're a Division III school, where the student comes first and the athlete comes second," she said.

Sullivan also said she thinks the department's new "emphasis on winning" is "stressful" for the players and coaches.

"Believe me, I'm all for winning," she said. "You play me in Tidily-Winks and I want to beat the pants off you. We should all be striving to win as many games as we can. But be reasonable about it."

Although Sullivan said "the expectations of the coaches were .500," Sousa denied that there was any overall expectation for all teams.

"There are individual expectations for each coach and goals for their team," Sousa said. "It would not be unusual [to set a team's goal at .500], but the overall goal is to run a quality program."

The process of Sullivan's termination began, Sullivan said, with the season-ending evaluation meeting with Sousa, which Sullivan said she walked into "confident and happy" after nearly reaching .500, bringing in two new assistant coaches and finding new recruits for 2007.

"I was just blown away by the fact that she was not happy," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said that Sousa asked her to file reports on how she could improve the team. After filing "many drafts stretching over six weeks," she was brought in for another meeting July 20.

"We didn't talk about any reports; she just fired me on the spot," Sullivan said. "She didn't offer any help. She never got back to me [on any of the drafts]."

Sousa would not comment on the evaluation process or the reports.

Sousa, a Brandeis alum, was a former member of Sullivan's volleyball and softball teams. Both described their relationship as very good.

Sullivan said she also had a positive and familiar relationship with University President Jehuda Reinharz, but her request for a meeting with him was denied.

"I think after 32 years of loyal, dedicated service, that he should have talked to me," she said.

Reinharz declined to comment.

After amassing 648 total wins at Brandeis, Sullivan said her only desire was to serve her players and students in the community.

"Everything is for the kids," she said. "Brandeis was my home. It's the only job I ever had and the only place I wanted to be.