Case Western Reserve University athletic trainer Jason Nutter was recently dismissed from a men's basketball game and later released by the school after a CWRU athlete revealed Nutter was convicted in a 2012 case involving a 17-year-old minor.
“Case Western Reserve University’s athletics department became aware Feb. 12 of a prior legal issue involving an assistant athletic trainer who was employed by a third-party company," wrote athletic director TJ Shelton in an email. "There were no reported issues regarding this individual at Case Western Reserve. However, within a few hours of learning this information, the university contacted the external third-party company that employed this individual and required his removal from working with Case Western Reserve University.”
According to court records from the 2016 appeal published by The Observer, Nutter, who was 29 at the time, admitted to engaging in communication and contact with a 17-year-old that included texting, holding hands, kissing and going to movies together. The records also state that investigators found the minor had sent topless photos to Nutter and the two had discussed engaging in sexual activity.
In 2016, Nutter was sentenced to 60 days in jail, and the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board sanctioned him with one year of probation, during which he was prohibited from applying to reinstate his license, and imposed a permanent restriction limiting his practice to treating individuals over the age of 18. This age restriction was lifted in 2022 following Nutter’s successful request for its removal.
After failing to regain his license on two separate occasions, Nutter was reinstated in 2016, but he did not practice between 2016 and 2022.
Nutter was hired by CWRU through Premier Sports Medicine, a third-party vendor, at the start of the academic year as the athletic department faced a shortage of athletic trainers heading into the Fall 2025 season. He was assigned to work with the women’s and men’s soccer teams, as well as the men’s basketball team. He was also slated to work with the softball team. One female athlete said she felt uncomfortable after learning about Nutter’s prior conviction and was frustrated that she had not been informed of his background during the fall season.
“This is information that should be disclosed to student-athletes, especially athletes on our women’s teams who might not be comfortable working with someone who has this in their past,” a CWRU male athlete said. “A situation like this can affect trust across all parties and a student athlete has enough pressure to perform in school and athletics along with outside life factors. They shouldn’t have to worry about the integrity or actions of someone they work with in athletic
