After being fired in May 2025, former Akron University head women’s soccer coach Jennifer Simonetti is suing the university, alleging her firing was discriminatory and retaliatory.
According to Cleveland.com, Simonetti filed her lawsuit in federal court in Akron seeking lost pay, future pay, damages and attorney fees.
Simonetti was first placed on administrative leave in February 2025, and the University of Akron’s Office of Labor and Employee Relations cited concerns about the mental and physical health of student-athletes. Throughout the investigation, student-athletes alleged the coach forced them to play injured, ignored athletic trainers’ recommendations and “used personal information against” the players.
Related: Investigation Finds University of Akron Coach Created Toxic Culture, Ignored Athletic Trainers
But Simonetti alleges that Akron University held women’s teams and coaches to a different standard than male coaches and men’s teams. She claimed that the university did not provide her team with necessary resources, but subjected them to greater levels of scrutiny. For example, she said there were disparities in funding, availability of strength and conditioning coaches, and facilities. Simonetti also said she was subjected to unequal marketing opportunities, smaller staff spaces, contradictory instructions from the athletic director and hostility from the men’s soccer coach.
In her lawsuit, Simonetti claims that she was fired as retaliation for speaking out about these discriminatory inequities.
