Utah State is firing football coach Blake Anderson, 2 other staffers after Title IX review

Associated Press

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Utah State announced Tuesday it’s firing shot coach Blake Anderson aft an outer reappraisal of allegations that he hadn’t complied pinch Title IX policies regarding nan reporting of intersexual misconduct cases.

Nate Dreiling, who had been Utah State’s protect coordinator and protect ends coach, will beryllium Utah State’s interim coach during nan upcoming season. Athletic head Diana Sabau met players and unit Tuesday to pass them of nan move, nan assemblage said successful a news release.

Utah State besides said subordinate vice president/deputy diversion head of outer affairs Jerry Bovee and shot head of subordinate improvement and organization Austin Albrecht were fired “for violations of assemblage policies related to nan reporting of intersexual and home unit and failures of master responsibilities.”

Bovee was Utah State’s interim diversion head successful 2023. Utah State said Anderson was being fired for actions that took spot successful nan outpouring of 2023.

Utah State noted that Title IX policies “require afloat and timely reporting of disclosures of intersexual misconduct — including home unit — and prohibit labor from investigating disclosures of intersexual misconduct themselves.”

“As leaders, we are responsible for ensuring allegations of USU argumentation violations are investigated,” Sabau and Utah State President Elizabeth Cantwell said successful an email they sent to module and staff. “Today’s actions are nan consequence of a thorough outer investigation, and we judge nan grounds demands contiguous action. Our occupation is to fearlessly clasp ourselves and others accountable for their behaviour and to make judge that, for nan liking of our students and our community, we are surviving nan values of our university.

“While recognizing nan effect of these decisions connected our student athletes and shot program, we will proceed to return nan steps basal to present a respectful, transparent and winning civilization astatine Utah State University.”

School officials noted that Anderson has 14 days to respond to nan university’s determination nether position of his employment agreement. School officials said they couldn‘t merchandise immoderate further accusation until each opportunities to respond aliases entreaty to nan determination person expired.

Anderson posted a 23-17 grounds successful 3 seasons astatine Utah State, pinch nan Aggies reaching vessel games each of those years. He went 11-3 successful 2021 earlier going 6-7 each of nan past 2 years.

He came to Utah State aft going 51-37 astatine Arkansas State from 2014-20. He took a time off of absence anterior to nan 2019 play conscionable earlier his wife, Wendy Anderson, died aft a two-year conflict pinch bosom cancer. He returned for nan 2nd crippled of that play and helped Arkansas State spell 8-5.