Gophers Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach J Robinson Dies

Robinson led the Gophers for 29 seasons before he was fired in 2016 for what athletics director Mark Coyle called "multiple acts of serious misconduct." Robinson was at the forefront of an investigation into the U of M's wrestling program for allegations that members of the team used and distributed Xanax.

According to a two-page letter Coyle sent to Robinson at the time of his firing, Robinson was accused of the following:

• Failing to disclose drug-related activity by team members
• Disposing of drugs that student athletes turned over to him
• Making promises of confidentiality and amnesty to student athletes that he was not authorized to make
• Disobeying reasonable directives to share information regarding the drug-related activities of wrestling team members with Coyle and the university

Criminal charges were never filed. Xanax is not an illegal drug, nor is it prohibited by the NCAA. But it is a controlled substance that requires a prescription.

Robinson denied most of the allegations, yet he was dismissed on Sept. 7, 2016, and replaced by Brandon Eggum, who remains the head coach to this day.

Robinson's death comes on the same weekend that the Minnesota Vikings announced the deaths of all-time great franchise players Jeff Siemon and Joey Browner.

Robinson's cause of death has not been announced.

This is a developing story.