A month prior to Wednesday's abrupt retirement of Auburn softball coach Clint Myers, a former player sent a complaint alleging abusive treatment by the coaching staff, sexual harassment and concerns about an administrative cover-up to school officials and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, according to a report by ESPN.

A 14-page letter was sent on behalf of former walk-on pitcher Alexa Nemeth by attorney Martin Greenberg on July 20, according to ESPN, after Nemeth filed a Title IX sexual discrimination complaint with the school on May 31 claiming "coach Clint Myers knowingly let his son Corey Myers have relations and pursue relations with multiple members of the team."

According to ESPN, the letter alleges that on March 30, the same day Corey Myers resigned as associate head coach citing family reasons, "several players approached head coach (Clint) Myers with proof in the form of text messages from a student-athlete's cell phone that coach Corey (Myers) was having an inappropriate relationship with one of the student-athletes."

ESPN cites the letter and unspecified players as stating the team was "quarantined" for several hours prior to the road series at Georgia, when the team refused to board the bus with a player who allegedly engaged in "intimate" text conversations with Corey Myers. According to ESPN, five players said during that March 30 meeting Auburn executive associate athletic director and senior women's administrator Meredith Jenkins told the players they were risking arrest for taking the text messages from their teammate's phone and ordered them to delete the messages.

Nemeth, who was a true freshman last season, is no longer part of the program.

"The well-being of Auburn student-athletes was and is our utmost concern," Auburn athletics said in a statement to AL.com Saturday. "In each instance of a personnel issue or question, Auburn Athletics works in conjunction with the university's administration, following all established guidelines and in compliance with NCAA and SEC regulations when applicable, to investigate, learn the facts and take appropriate action.

"We followed this same procedure in matters related to the softball program. By both practice and in compliance with federal privacy laws, Auburn doesn't disclose details of personnel matters."

Over the past five months, AL.com attempted to contact more than a dozen former Auburn athletes, coaches and support staffers regarding the circumstances surrounding Corey Myers' resignation. Nearly all, including several quoted in ESPN's story, did not respond, in some cases to multiple messages, but one former player claimed she received inappropriate text messages from Corey Myers during her time at Auburn.

Screenshots of messages to former infielder Blaire Bass from a sender identified as Corey Myers came after team photos were taken in Sept. 2015.

"Your (sic) okay 7 maybe" Myers wrote in one message to Bass in reference to one of the photos.

"I didn't entertain it," said Bass, who initially requested anonymity but agreed to let AL.com use her name on Saturday. "I just stopped and called my mom afterwards, 'Like this is really weird, I don't know what to do.' She said, 'Don't say anything to anyone,' because I could have gotten in trouble. Because me coming out about a coach being inappropriate, especially the Myers, I probably could've gotten kicked off. It could have been he-said-she-said type thing. ...

"People are so scared to come out because they think that nothing's going to come about it because of who (the Myers') are. People are just scared that they're going to get in trouble because at the end of the day (Clint Myers) is going to have Corey's back; it's his son."

Bass said she was "not welcome back to play" after the 2016 season and is now at Louisville.

A former player who spoke to ESPN said whether coaches commented on a player's looks, "determined if you were liked or not."

Former shortstop Haley Fagan, who did not respond to a message from AL.com, told ESPN several players filed anonymous ethics complaints with Auburn's athletic department in Sept. 2016 and the university conducted an internal investigation that led Corey Myers to resign. However, that lasted just two weeks after Clint Myers and another coach "asked select members of the team to 'go fight for Corey' with the athletic department," Fagan told ESPN.

ESPN cites several former players claiming a player took a photo of text messages, "described as intimate in nature," between Corey Myers and a player during the team's trip to play Florida. Those messages were then presented to Clint Myers, according to the complaint, on March 30 and Corey Myers resigned.

Several players refused to board the team's bus to go to Georgia that night with the player involved in the messages with Corey Myers.

"We said that if she gets on, we're staying off," Fagan said, according to ESPN. "It was a team decision."

Infielder Emily Spain took what Clint Myers called a "leave of absence" at that time for what Myers said were unspecified health reasons. Auburn updated its online roster on Friday and Spain, who has not responded to multiple messages from AL.com, is no longer listed.

On April 6, Clint Myers said he would welcome Corey Myers back to the program "in a heartbeat" and he did not know if Corey Myers' resignation on March 30 was connected to the leave of absence he took from the program last fall. That day, AL.com asked Clint Myers if there had ever been a Title IX investigation into Corey Myers.

"I'm not sure why you're asking that," Clint Myers said. "So, I have no comment."

On April 27, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said he had no knowledge of any investigation into Corey Myers' conduct.

"I really didn't have a reaction other than what his statement was, which is that he wanted to spend more time with his family," Jacobs told AL.com on April 27. "It's a grind being an assistant coach and having a family; little kids, it's a tough thing. I appreciate him being willing to say, 'You know what, I can't keep doing both of these. I can't have my family the way I need to with the time and keep up with softball too.' So, I respect him for stepping out."

Auburn has not responded to any of AL.com's public records requests on the matter, which began on March 21, nine days before Corey Myers resigned. On March 31, AL.com refiled its public records request to extend the end date and expand the scope of its inquiry and again on April 7 to further expand the inquiry.

"Governor Ivey did receive a copy of the letter and immediately forwarded it to the Auburn University general counsel," a spokesman for the governor's office said. "Governor Ivey fully supports President Leath and is sure that Auburn University will fully protect all student-athletes."

Auburn University released a statement to AL.com Sunday morning and an updated lengthier statement in the evening.

"ESPN has written an important story about our softball team. It's a serious matter. As a university that cares deeply about our student-athletes, we have taken this seriously since the first concerns were raised," the statement read. "An investigation was promptly launched when allegations were made. While we don't by policy or law comment on personnel issues or issues related to students, any suggestion that Auburn Athletics or university administration didn't take it seriously or didn't act in the best interest of student-athletes is simply false.

"While the law requires us to protect the privacy of our students, tying our hands about what can be said publicly, there is a reason changes took place with the coaching staff. As much as we may want to give more details, we have been approached by some of the student-athletes involved, directly asking us to protect them because they don't want their names made public. Once the facts were established, changes to the staff quickly followed. Honoring the student-athletes requests for privacy while taking necessary disciplinary action is not an easy line to walk when the media asks legitimate questions, but we did the right things at the right time for the right reasons.

"At all times, Auburn University will protect its students, obey privacy laws, and deal with anyone on staff who violates our high standards."

Greenberg, Clint Myers and Corey Myers did not respond to messages from AL.com on Saturday. An SEC spokesman said commissioner Greg Sankey was unavailable for comment Saturday night.

Two former Auburn players, neither of whom were on the team last season, took to social media to support Clint Myers.

Former pitcher Rachael Walters, who played for the Tigers from 2013-16 with the final three years under Myers, and former outfielder Morgan Estell, who played from 2011-14, both tweeted support for their former coach.

"Excuse my language, but this is b------," Walters tweeted on Saturday. "Coach is a great man. I am disgusted w/ my former teammates for this. I don't agree."

Estell tweeted her support on Sunday morning.

"It takes a few people to ruin the reputation of a great school and coach," Estell wrote. "Clint is an honorable man. hope y'all are happy now."

No current players or members of the team last season posted public messages in response to the accusations outlined by ESPN or AL.com.

Less than eight weeks after agreeing in principle to a three-year contract extension through 2023, Clint Myers' four-year tenure as Auburn's softball coach ended Wednesday night via a five-paragraph press release from the school announcing his retirement.

Auburn went 205-54-1 with four straight postseason appearances under Clint Myers, who was named SEC coach of the year in 2015 after leading the Tigers to their first SEC Tournament championship and first WCWS appearance, feats repeated in 2016.

The Tigers went 49-12 overall and 17-7 in SEC play and finished last season ranked No. 13 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll.

A search for Auburn softball's next softball coach is underway.