Interview with victim led to coach’s dismissal

Utah State’s Blake Anderson was fired for contacting a possible domestic violence victim and a witness to the incident after an Aggies football player was arrested and for failing to properly report the matter, according to a termination letter sent to the coach earlier this month.

The final report of the investigation conducted by law firm Husch Blackwell and the resignation letters of athletic director Diana Sabau and chairman Elizabeth Cantwell were obtained by The Associated Press on Friday through a public information request.

The investigation found that Anderson violated university policy by failing to report information to the Office of Equity.

“He also undermined the university’s goal of responding promptly to issues of sexual misconduct by delaying the suspension of this student-athlete and failing to share information about his arrest with other university administrators during discussions of climate issues within the football program,” the report said.

Anderson responded to the school’s dismissal letter by stating that he was fired out of “convenience,” not for cause, and that the investigation that led to his dismissal was a “sham.”

Anderson’s attorney, Tom Mars, posted excerpts on social media Friday from the 70-page response that was provided to the school earlier this week. Anderson’s resignation was made official Thursday. Utah State notified him July 2 of its intention to terminate him for cause after an investigation found he failed to comply with Title IX policies regarding reporting incidents of sexual misconduct.

The incident involving the player occurred in April 2023. Utah State ordered an investigation in August 2023.

Anderson told investigators he went on a “fact-finding mission” to determine whether the player should be disciplined after being made aware of an incident, according to the report.

“While failure to report sexual misconduct is itself grounds for termination, your violations of USU Policy 340 were much more serious. As outlined in the investigation’s Findings and Conclusions, you acknowledged that in addition to failing to report sexual misconduct, you took it upon yourself to investigate the matter and interviewed not only the student-athlete, but also the potential victim and a witness to the event leading to the student-athlete’s arrest and obtained written statements from these witnesses,” the termination letter reads.

Associate Vice President and Deputy Director of External Affairs for Athletic Affairs Jerry Bovee and Director of Player Development and Football Community Austin Albrecht have also been terminated “for violations of university policy regarding reporting of sexual and domestic violence and neglect of professional responsibilities.”

Anderson responded by arguing that Kansas’s firing of then-head coach David Beaty in 2018 began a trend in college sports where schools find excuses to fire highly paid coaches without paying the agreed-upon severance pay.

Beaty won a $2.5 million settlement with Kansas. Anderson was under contract through 2027 and his contract included a buyout clause.

The response said Utah State failed to understand the limitations of its policy, violated standards for a professional investigation and “grasped at straws for cause.”

The response concludes that Utah State owes Anderson the full buyout amount — which, according to USA Today’s coaches salary database, was $4.5 million as of last December — and that he should publicly apologize.

“While I recognize that today’s decision has a significant impact, it is the only decision that could have been made based on the facts,” Cantwell said in a statement Thursday announcing Anderson’s resignation. “We are committed to continuing to build a winning athletics program based on student success and integrity.”

The 55-year-old Anderson was 23-17 with a Mountain West title in three seasons at Utah State. He went 6-7 in each of the last two seasons. He is 74-54 in 10 seasons as a major college football coach, including seven at Arkansas State.

Nate Dreiling, previously the defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach at Utah State, was promoted to interim coach for the upcoming season on July 2.

The Aggies open the 2024 season on August 31 against Robert Morris.