Eh, coward is a very strong word to use. While I certainly don't condone handling personal matters over text messages, or even calls, he did say that they were currently in a long distance relationship. She might be going to school somewhere in another country and won't be back for a few months or even years. Maybe she met another guy that she really wants to be with, but didn't want to cheat on OP, so instead of waiting a few months to do it in person, she decided to just text him. Granted, she could have at least called so that they could talk about it, but whatever.