Saint Leo University

"Will body shame players, torment players, belittle players. Her ego feeds off making herself feel better then the team. Will talk bad about players to other players."

"He is a horrible person who tears you down as a player instead of motivating or encouraging you"

"In my experience, Marcal Lazenby’s leadership created an environment where communication, consistency, and trust were major concerns. Expectations were not always clearly communicated, and important decisions appeared to be made without giving the people affected a meaningful opportunity to provide context or respond. As the leader of the athletic department, I expected stronger support, clearer processes, and a greater willingness to address problems directly before they escalated. Instead, I often felt that concerns were handled reactively and that protecting himself took priority over understanding the full situation. College athletics requires accountability, but accountability should apply to leadership as well as coaches and athletes. Leaders should communicate expectations clearly, investigate concerns fairly, document issues consistently, and treat employees with professionalism throughout difficult situations. Based on my experience, those standards were not consistently met. I would encourage anyone considering working within the department to ask detailed questions about communication, evaluation procedures, administrative support, and how disputes or complaints are handled."

"**Proceed With Caution** Based on my experience, Saint Leo Athletics has serious leadership culture issues. Under Marcal Lazenby, the department felt highly image-conscious and politically driven. Public appearances and department optics seemed to matter more than consistent support, clear communication, and fair treatment. In my experience, decisions could feel personal and reactive rather than principled or professionally handled. This is especially concerning in a college athletics environment, where student-athletes and coaches need stability, trust, and leadership that puts programs first. I would caution recruits, families, and coaching candidates to look beyond the surface and ask direct questions about department culture, staff stability, internal communication, and how conflict is handled. There are good athletes and people at Saint Leo. But based on my experience, the leadership culture is a major concern. "

"Very passively disrespectful to you if you were not one of her best players. She cared more about having friends than making us betters players. That affects the entire dynamic of the team. We are there to become better players, not feel like we are around a high school clique run by the coach. "