A former Utah State University football player who captured audio of the team's head coach and the campus police chief smearing sex assault victims has agreed to a $150,000 settlement from the school.
As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, the agreement signed last week brings an end to the lawsuit filed last year by the former player, Patrick Maddox. Once staff and football players in the school’s program discovered he was the one who released the audio, Maddox said he faced retaliation so intense he felt forced to quit the team.
After the recordings went public and drew national attention, Maddox alleged he was threatened by his teammates and had his gear stolen and destroyed. He also said he was forced to apologize to the team by head football coach Blake Anderson — who was named in the suit in addition to USU. Maddox said that Anderson told the team that Maddox “made a mistake,” and the players could punish him however they “saw fit.”
When he tried to report the conduct to other university employees, Maddox said, he was ignored or told he deserved it.
According to Courtney Tanner of the Tribune, Maddox said Friday that he’s ready to move on and “put this chapter behind me.” He hopes that his speaking out will also prompt a change in college athletics, with schools bringing in experts to talk to teams about preventing sexual assault and supporting victims.
“Football players have tremendous influence in the community,” Maddox said. “We are looked up to by so many. It’s important to use that influence in a positive way, and I hope we see a cultural shift in that direction from USU going forward. And from a personal note, I want to be a resource for victims and help in any way I can.”
The Salt Lake Tribune obtained a copy of his settlement through a public records request. It’s one of at least four high-cost settlements paid out by the school in the past five years. Together, those total just shy of $1 million — a burden ultimately borne by taxpayers, as Utah State is a public university.
Among the recent cases was was one filed by USU student Kaytriauna Flint that then led to Maddox’s filing.
Flint, a friend of Maddox’s, alleged she was raped by another member of the football team in 2019. The recordings that Maddox made of Anderson and then-USU police chief Earl Morris were first cited in her lawsuit as evidence of the persistent culture within athletics, the Tribune reported.
In one clip, the police chief can be heard telling players to beware of having sex with Latter-day Saint women because they might later feel “regret” and report it as nonconsensual. He resigned.
In another clip, Anderson can be heard telling his players it “has never been more glamorized to be a victim” of sexual assault.He has since apologized, according to Tanner's reporting in the Tribune.
Flint signed a settlement to end her case, receiving a $500,000 payout from the school last year.
Anderson has adamantly denied that he was ever told that Maddox was experiencing retaliation after the player released the recordings. He reiterated that in a statement released Friday by USU.
“Since becoming the head football coach at Utah State and throughout my career, any misconduct I have learned about, I dealt with swiftly and immediately,” Anderson said. “I have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, and I look for frequent opportunities to educate my coaching staff and team on preventing sexual assault and relationship violence.”
USU stated Friday that it still “disputes the allegations made in Mr. Maddox’s lawsuit,” but has agreed to resolve the case to “move forward with continued efforts to strengthen the culture in the USU football program.” The settlement specifically states the school is not admitting fault.
As reported by Tanner, the university also said as a result it has provided training to Anderson, the football coaching staff and executive leadership in athletics about “effective communication strategies for addressing sexual misconduct and how to avoid victim blaming language.”
