By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MIDDLETOWN - The athletic director of Middletown City Schools resigned Thursday after district officials accused him of mismanaging fund-raising raffles and using a school laptop computer to view Internet pornography.

Eric Tudor, who was paid $78,000 a year as athletic director and head football coach and joined the school system in 2001, resigned on the same day school officials sharply criticized him in a written evaluation.

Middletown Superintendent Steve Price said Tudor's creation and mismanagement of two athletic fund-raising raffles - of a house in 2002 and a car in 2003 - both involving hundreds of thousands of dollars were done without "clear and appropriate oversight" by the athletic department.

"These actions have caused a significant decline in the credibility and integrity of the athletic department," Price wrote in the evaluation.

Middletown police were recently called in by school officials to investigate Tudor's handling of the raffles but found nothing illegal.

Price also said Tudor purchased a personal briefcase with school money for $95.84 and viewed Internet sex sites with a school computer at home.

Tudor, who since being put on indefinite administrative leave last week has declined comment, said he has done nothing illegal. He challenged some of Price's criticisms in a rebuttal letter placed in his personnel file.

The city school board held a special meeting at Middletown High School and voted 5-0 to accept Tudor's resignation.

Tudor stated that he had "verbal consent" from district officials to conduct the raffles and was not aware that written consent of the school board was required.

He did not dispute using a school computer at his home to view Internet sex sites.

"I apologize for my indiscretion," wrote Tudor. "I did not knowingly download or store any material that I viewed on the Internet. No students were involved."

Price said Tudor's actions violated school policy. He added that when school technicians performing routine maintenance on the computer discovered the Internet pornography, Tudor "asked them to delete any evidence that he visited adult Web sites."

. "Mr. Tudor's actions are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated," wrote Price.

Rather than incur the legal expense to fight the accusations, Tudor wrote in his resignation letter, he decided to quit. But he added that "I do not believe any matters presented are to such a degree that they rise to termination type offenses."

Gary Lebo, Middletown schools facilities manger, has acted as interim athletic director since last week.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com