Metro

Wagner coach canned assistant because she was bi-polar: suit

It was a flagrant foul.

The head coach of the Wagner College women’s basketball team coldly canned an assistant — and threatened to ruin her career — after learning that she was diagnosed as bi-polar, according to a Brooklyn federal lawsuit.

Former New Jersey prep standout and George Washington University guard Lisa Steele was hired by Wagner coach Lisa Cermignano in 2012 and initially flourished in the role, according to the suit.

“I’m blessed to have Lisa on staff,” Cermignano said after the hire on Wagner’s Web site in 2012. “She’s a relentless worker, she wants to learn, and I think she has the ability to be really, really good. I’m lucky because she had a lot of other opportunities and she chose to make this move.”

But Steele said the move turned disastrous after she was first diagnosed with ADHD and later bi-polar disorder last year.

She said she suffered from mood swings and irritability after taking medications for the condition, according to the suit.

Steele told Cermignano about the diagnosis but said that it wouldn’t effect her coaching ability as long as the condition was treated and that she was making clear progress.

But Cermignano – who recruited Steele out of high school – abruptly told her that she was no longer welcome on the Wagner bench.

“I don’t believe being a women’s basketball coach is for you,” Cermignano told her earlier this year, according to the suit.

Steele said Cermignano even told her that she shouldn’t expect any support if she tried to pursue other coaching opportunities.

“When people call me for a reference I will let them know that based on your performance, I do not believe this job is for you,” she said, according to the suit.

Steele asked to finish out the season but was rebuffed.

“No, I think it’s effective immediately,” she said, according to the suit. “You’re done today.”

Steele is suing the college and Cermignano for discrimination. Wagner officials did not immediately return a call for comment.