Utah State: Football Coach Fired for Interviewing Potential Victim Following Player's Arrest

More details have emerged over the weekend regarding the firing of the Utah State University football coach, Blake Anderson. AB previously reported on the terminations of interim AD, Jerry Bovee and senior women administrator Amy Crosbie earlier this month.

Recently, Anderson and his attorney sent a 70-page letter to USU as a response to the university’s intent to terminate Anderson. Now, that intent has come to fruition. Documents are being released with more details on what the university sees as Anderson’s shortcomings including allegations that he, “contacted a potential domestic violence victim and a witness to the incident (…) failing to properly report the case,” according to the termination letter.

The report by the university went on to state that, “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.” 

Related: Utah State University Interim AD Fired on Allegations of Mishandling Title IX Reporting Policies

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the student-athlete in question was charged with two misdemeanors and pleaded no contest to assault in the presence of a child. In the wake of the arrest, the player entered the transfer portal and was removed from the USU roster within days.

In his 70-page response to the university’s report, Anderson claims that he was fired for convenience and the investigation into these events was a sham. Anderson says he met the Title IX reporting requirements. 

The response alleges that USU’s investigations resulted in only three things, “USU making false allegations in Coach Anderson’s Termination Letter that are contrary to indisputable evidence; Firing three other USU employees who also did nothing wrong; USU providing Coach Anderson and Jerry Bovee with inconsistent, contradictory statements about material findings in USU’s year-long investigation.”

Anderson and his attorney also argued in the letter that Anderson is entitled to his full contract buyout, roughly $4.5 million. Anderson would also like the university to issue a public apology.

When Anderson’s attorney, Tom Mars, posted the response letter to social media he said, “USU says it’s AD was kept in the dark about USU’s year-long investigation until recently. That seems odd.”