Legal Details & Timeline

• November 2021: Formal complaint filed by John Doe’s 1-3. Investigation by USF Administration begins.
• December 2021: Coach G suspended.
• March 2022: Coach G fired.

During the investigation, no individuals other than the accusers were interviewed.

It is tragic when an abuse of power occurs. However, one is often not privy to the pressure and power at play upon coaches by entitled players, parents with deep pockets and connections, and organizational structures and leadership. When these converge it creates an almost insurmountable force.

Entitlement

The University of San Francisco guarantees athletic scholarships. The John Doe’s were all three scholarship players who were allowed to keep their scholarships despite having demonstrated that they were not contributing players; Coach G made it clear to them that their toxic behavior would not be permitted to permeate the team.  (link to quotes from teammates) What happens when a young person does not earn or is not given the position he believes he should have? Is Coach G’s dismissal a result of these athlete’s families leveraging their power and influence? This is a question that should be asked since Coach G is alleged to have a long standing history of abuse, however only the alleged victims’ stories are ever heard from. Despite dozens of ex-teammates for each John Doe that should have been witness to the claims in the lawsuit.

This sense of entitlement cannot seep into spaces and cause disruption without a supportive system. Was the investigation that ensued at USF influenced by ulterior motives? Let’s take a look:  

The investigation itself was a farce, inept at best. Only the 3 plaintiffs were interviewed regarding misdeeds. No other team members were allowed to contribute to the investigation regarding the climate and culture and claims that were made. This is procedurally unsound. A thorough investigation is crucial to provide justice to all parties. USF baseball players not aligned with the action were given no support and no voice in this process. The information provided to them was very different from what was in the news. Their coach was removed from the field halfway through a game in Arizona and they were told it was because he allowed a former assistant coach on the field vs Fresno St. a week prior. This left everyone with questions.

Remaining players on ’22 team told “keep quiet or else” by USF brass.

Once remaining players returned to campus from seeing their coach fired mid-game in Arizona, a meeting was held by USF Administrators where players were informed of what was going to happen next and were allowed to ask questions towards the end. This being an emotional moment for a lot of the players is recalled vividly by some. One player remembers, “We were told Coach G was fired because he let Coach Nakamura on the field against Fresno St. This didn’t really make any sense to us because we were asking how is Coach G supposed to stop him if he’s busy on the field with us. Then we were told that if we didn’t keep quiet they would cancel our season – we were flat out told that we weren’t allowed to show any kind of support for Coach G. It really felt weird to all of us to be lied to and threatened by adults that were supposed to be helping us.”

3 facts that matter

1. Only the stories of the accusers have been heard. There are dozens of potential witnesses to many of the allegations that were said to have occurred at practice.
2. The school has said that Coach G was terminated because he allowed a previously fired assist who still lived on campus made an appearance at a home game – not because of a lawsuit or anything yielded from the investigation.
3. One of the original John Doe’s has inquired about returning to the program even though there is a pending lawsuit he is a plaintiff in. That just seems a little ‘off’ doesn’t it?

To be honest, the JD’s were given more opportunities and more patience that most people because of the scholarship standing.

Not John Doe #9