A longtime Haskell Indian Nations University Board of Regents member and former board president is under fire in Oklahoma, where a scandal revealed this week spurred leaders of his tribe to demand he resign as chief.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council sent Chief George Tiger a letter Wednesday afternoon asking him to resign, National Council speaker Thomas Yahola said. Yahola said the action was spurred by a Sunday investigative report in the Tulsa World newspaper revealing that Tiger signed a secret contract with a casino developer that would have benefitted another tribe.

Haskell University and Board of Regents leaders said that while the situation was not linked to Haskell, it saddened them.

Tiger has served on the Haskell Board of Regents for 20 years, since 1995, and last was president of the board from 2010 to 2013, according to Haskell.

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” current Board of Regents President Russell Bradley said. “I’ve always looked at George as a leader and a credible person, and I have no reason to think otherwise. Very few people have given Haskell the support George has.”

Bradley said he was not in a position to comment on the allegations against Tiger. He said they were not a Haskell or Regents issue but rather “personal business” and “internal political” issues for Tiger and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Haskell President Venida Chenault also noted Tiger’s longtime service but distanced the school from the situation in Oklahoma.

“The issues identified by the Tulsa World are not connected to Haskell, but the university is saddened by the news and the adverse impacts on the Muskogee (Creek) Nation and Mr. Tiger,” Chenault said in a statement.

It’s unclear whether the Muscogee (Creek) will affect Tiger’s position on the Haskell Board of Regents.

Regents are chosen by their respective Bureau of Indian Affairs regions, and Tiger is the board’s representative from the Eastern Oklahoma region. The Journal-World was unable to reach regional leaders for comment Thursday.

The Tulsa World investigation reported that Tiger signed a secret contract in 2009 with the developer of a Broken Arrow casino project, according to the newspaper. The project would have benefitted another tribe, the Kialegee Tribal Town, and would have competed with the Creek Nation’s River Spirit casino in Tulsa.

Yahola said the newspaper story was developed from documentation including checks issued and signed by Tiger.

He said citizens were outraged and had begun an impeachment process that involves a petition and signature-gathering, but that process takes months. Yahola said the tribal council called a special meeting Tuesday night and after hearing from many citizens — who were invited into an executive session — voted unanimously to draft a resolution of no-confidence in Chief Tiger. They then drafted the letter asking for his resignation.

Late Thursday afternoon, Yahola said the National Council had not received a response from Tiger. A voicemail left by the Journal-World on a number for Tiger was not returned Thursday afternoon.

In August 2013, a woman who claimed to have had a longtime affair with Tiger filed a lawsuit accusing him of physical abuse and manipulation of tribal staff members to cover up the alleged affair, which the Tulsa World also reported on.

Yahola said that was ultimately settled out of court but that it “kind of left a bad taste with the citizens as well.”

Tiger’s first four-year term as chief would be up at the end of this year, Yahola said.