by Perry A. Farrell, Jim Schaefer and Kevin Bull, USA TODAY Sports

Former Detroit Mercy assistant basketball coach Carlos Briggs says he was wrongfully fired in an effort by the university “to cover up the misconduct of others in the athletic department” — after he brought the allegations to the school’s attention.

Briggs, who made his accusations Wednesday in a statement he e-mailed to several media outlets, did not provide details of the alleged wrongdoing or when it might have taken place, only that he first reported it to school officials in August.

When reached by the Detroit Free Press, Briggs would not comment further.

Briggs, in his sixth season at Detroit Mercy, did not mention names in his statement, but wrote that “on Oct. 31 the wrongdoers in the athletic department who were the subject of my August disclosure were separated from service of the university.”

That’s the day UDM announced that athletics director Keri Gaither and assistant basketball coach Derek Thomas had resigned, effective immediately, to pursue other interests. UDM announced the resignations in separate releases.

Briggs said he was fired the following day. The school kept his name and profile on the basketball team’s Web page until Wednesday afternoon, replaced by “TBA” under a list of assistant coaches.

Schools officials repeatedly have declined to comment on the departures. Gary Lichtman, director of media relations, marketing and public affairs, said UDM could not discuss personnel matters.

Detroit Mercy is the lone NCAA Division I school in the Detroit and one of only seven in the state. A private, Catholic institution, it is affiliated with the Jesuits and Sisters of Mercy.

Four former basketball players — LaMarcus Lowe, Donavan Foster, Brandon Romain and Xavier Keeling — told the Free Press in recent interviews that the behavior of Gaither and Thomas on road trips in recent seasons led them to believe they had an inappropriate relationship. Gaither ran the department in which Thomas worked. They both have spouses.

Said Foster, “People just didn’t respect her, didn’t respect Coach Thomas. Because you’re looking at two people” who were “authority figures to us.”

Foster and Lowe were seniors last season when the Titans won the Horizon League tournament. Lowe started, and Foster played 21 … [For more on Detroit coach alleges wrongful firing, click here.]