LOGAN, Utah — Utah State University announced the firing of football coach Blake Anderson for allegedly contacting a football player’s girlfriend and a roommate after the girlfriend accused the student-athlete of domestic violence and sexual assault.
University officials received a final report, conducted by law firm Husch Blackwell, on July 1. According to the findings, Anderson also violated the university’s Title IX policy by failing to report information to the Office of Equity, AP reports.
“He also undermined the university’s goal of responding diligently to issues of sexual misconduct by delaying suspension of this student-athlete and failing to disclose the arrest information with other university administrators while discussing climate issues within the football program,” the report said.
In a response to the school’s termination letter, which it issued on July 2, Anderson refuted the allegations, claiming the player entered the transfer portal within days of the reported assault and was removed from the team’s roster. The player was then transferred to another Divison 1 school after Utah State’s Equity Office conducted a safety assessment.
Utah State Football Coach Went on Own ‘Fact-Finding Mission’
The incident occurred in April 2023 when the player was charged with two misdemeanors and pleaded no contest to assault in the presence of a child, AP reports. The domestic violence count was dismissed. Utah State then commissioned its own investigation into Anderson’s actions in Aug. 2023, during which he reportedly told investigators that he went on a “fact-finding mission” to determine whether the player should be disciplined after he was informed of the incident.
“While failing to report sexual misconduct alone is a basis for termination, your violations of USU Policy 340 were far more egregious,” reads the termination letter. “As outlined in the Investigation Findings and Conclusions, you acknowledged that in addition to failing to report sexual misconduct, you took it upon yourself to investigate the matter and interviewed not only the student-athlete but also the potential victim and a witness to the event that led to the student athlete’s arrest and solicited written statements from these witnesses.”
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Anderson, through his attorney Tom Mars, said the woman and the roommate provided statements without the coach asking for them, according to ESPN. Mars said Anderson learned about the player’s arrest through his roommate. Anderson then allegedly received a text message from the player’s girlfriend, who said she wanted to pass along a statement that denied any physical altercation.
“He couldn’t have been ‘investigating a domestic assault’ he had no knowledge of until the teammate told him what had happened,” Mars said. “He immediately called the interim AD.”
Anderson said he was fired for “convenience” and that the investigation that led to his dismissal was a “sham.” He said Utah State failed to understand the limitations of its policies and violated standards for a professional investigation while “grasping at straws to find cause.”
Jerry Bovee, associate vice president and deputy athletic director of external affairs, and Austin Albrecht, football director of player development and community, were also fired for allegedly violating university reporting policies.
