The former Cal State Northridge women’s soccer coach Keith Andrew West recently filed a lawsuit against the university and the Board of Trustees of the California State University, alleging whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, harassment and breach of contract.
Despite West’s insistence, this week, defense attorneys brought forth evidence that West was fired for justifiable cause.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, West pointed to several instances throughout his 20-year tenure with the soccer team that lead to the lawsuit. He said that in 2018, former athletic director Michael Izzi requested that West “recruit a certain student-athlete (…) the person’s uncles were ‘very well connected’ and would be donors.”
Izzi went on to threaten West over text messages, saying, “If you don’t get this kid, I’ll fire you.”
Another former athletic director allegedly told West, “Every year I justify your existence. The president wants a female in your position.”
West also called out misconduct by the CSUN men’s basketball coach who he alleged was recruiting during a dead period, general scholarship for donation illegality, and discrimination he faced as a male coaching a women’s team. When he brought these concerns to the vice president for student affairs, William Watkins, West claimed he was told to “resign if he wasn’t happy.”
In 2021, following several of these complaints, West was placed under investigation and put on administrative leave. He was fired in December 2022, and CSUN claimed it was as a result of the investigation’s findings.
According to My News LA, defense attorneys for CSUN and the Board of Trustees of the California State University are falling back on the same investigation that prompted West’s firing back in 2022.
“Keith West was terminated as the women’s soccer coach … for violating a California State University policy prohibiting harassment of students based on their sexual orientation,” CSU attorneys state in court papers filed Jan. 13. The papers went on to claim that all West’s other allegations regarding misconduct in the athletics department were “wild conspiracy theories.”
The defense’s dismissal motion hearing is scheduled for April 7 when West will have his final chance to argue that his termination was due to whistleblower violations and discrimination, not cause.
