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Emily Rousseau, a former Biddeford High standout, was released from her scholarship by the University of Maine on Tuesday night.

Emily Rousseau is free.

The University of Maine decided to release Rousseau from her commitment to its women's basketball program Tuesday night, some 18 hours before she was to appear before an appeals committee on the Orono campus.

"After continued evaluation and looking at all the different scenarios, we didn't see a favorable outcome," said Athletic Director Blake James. "We decided to move on."

The decision ends what had become a contentious tug of war. Rousseau, a promising freshman guard from Biddeford, said the life of a Division I player was more demanding than she anticipated. Coach Cindy Blodgett said she believed Rousseau was doing well and wanted her to honor her commitment to Maine.

Rousseau did not return a message left on her cell phone Tuesday night. Blodgett deferred comment on Rousseau's release from her scholarship until today.

"Commitment is a two-way street," said Blodgett earlier Tuesday, before Maine's decision to release Rousseau. "We were committed to making (Rousseau) the best Division I player she could be."

In return, said Blodgett, every scholarship player makes a commitment to the university. Players can walk away from that commitment but not always without repercussions.

"If I broke my commitment to the university (by leaving to accept another coaching job), I'd have to face the consequences," said Blodgett. "I believe that."

Maine players Sandra Vaitkute and Magdala Johnson also asked out of their commitments and were granted releases. That gave the appearances of a double standard.

"We look at each situation on a case-by-case basis," said James. Blodgett said the same earlier Tuesday.

Rousseau, before she suffered a leg injury late in the season, started 16 of 23 games and averaged 8.1 points for a team that finished with a 7-23 record in its first season with Blodgett as head coach.

Blodgett believes a player can terminate the commitment by failing to do the work required before, during and after the season. Rousseau did her work.

The timing of Rousseau's decision, after the end of the season, hurt the Maine program. Believing she had Rousseau for three more seasons, Blodgett did not recruit a shooting guard for next season. She can now offer Rousseau's scholarship to someone, but most high school seniors with the talent to play Division I are committed elsewhere.

Rousseau, a biochemistry major with a 3.29 grade-point average, according to Blodgett, had a greater impact on a Maine program trying to build from the bottom. The message, said Blodgett, was that Maine wanted to keep Rousseau.

In the past week, Blodgett became aware of another message that was spreading: that she was being petty or even vindictive in holding Rousseau to her commitment. If Rousseau had not been released, she would have been unable to accept any form of athletic financial aid from another school for a year.

Short term, it was a public relations nightmare and possibly one of the scenarios James was considering. Blodgett was willing to risk whatever good will she had as a former star at both Lawrence High School and at Maine to help define herself as a head coach.

"Yes, you open yourself up to judgment and I'm prepared for that," said Blodgett. "I also understand that I'm wearing the hat of a representative of this university. I believe that commitments are made to be kept."

She believes it's time for people to stop walking away.

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:

ssolloway@pressherald.com