Schubert will not be returning to his post at the end of an unexplained 60-day leave of absence, which was due to end yesterday, Associated Press reported.

USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus updated the group's board of directors regarding Schubert's status in an e-mail obtained by Associated Press.

"We have gone through a challenging transition with the leadership of the National Team program in recent months, and Mark Schubert is no longer the National Team Head Coach," Wielgus wrote.

USA Swimming announced on September that Schubert, one of the sport's most prominent coaches and a 1997 inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, would be taking at least a 60-day leave of absence from his post running the American team.

No explanation has been given for the leave of absence.

USA Swimming spokeswoman Jamie Olsen has refused to comment.

Schubert, a six-time Olympic coach who has worked with Jane Evans and Darra Torres, told the Associated Press that his lawyer had advised him to not discuss the situation.

When the leave was announce on September 19, Wielgus sent an e-mail to staff and board members saying he and former USA Swimming President Jim Wood would conduct "the ongoing evaluation of Mark's progress and participate in any decision-making that would take place prior to approving Mark's return, or determining if another course of action is necessary."

The position of head coach could now be changed.

"We will soon be announcing plans to hire a full-time National Team Leader, but first we must evaluate and revise the job description for the position," Wielgus wrote in the e-mail obtained by Associated Press.

Schubert took over the newly created role of national coach after the Athens Olympics  in 2004 and led the team Beijing, which was led by Michael Phelps' record eight gold medals.