The arrest of an athlete in Utah, the firing of a coach and the strict rules for reporting student misconduct

SALT LAKE CITY – The screaming started late at night.

A neighbor looked out of her North Logan home in April 2023, expecting to possibly see college students playing in the snow.

In a statement to police, however, the witness described a completely different scene: a woman was crying and screaming “Get off me” and “You're choking me,” and a man was lying on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Officers arrested the man, a Utah State University athlete, in a case that has had profound implications for the Logan campus.

In July, the university fired the head football coach and two other staff members because of their behavior, a wave of severe consequences that came at a time when the university was trying to improve and distance itself from a past of failing to respond appropriately to assaults by male students on women.

Utah state policy requires coaches to report sexual misconduct, including intimate partner violence and sexual harassment, to the school, and then under federal law they must resign. But the school claims those things didn't happen.

Citing an outside review, the university claims former head coach Blake Anderson did not report his knowledge directly to the school's Title IX office. Anderson also “took the investigation into his own hands” and “obtained testimony in support of the player's defense” from the victim and a roommate, according to a university notice of intent to terminate his employment.

Anderson does not deny that he collected evidence or that he relied on an administrator to file the report. But he denies any wrongdoing, has insisted he “handled this matter by the book” and said he plans to sue the school over its decision. His lawyers claimed in a statement last week that university administration “regrettably decided to wage what is essentially a public smear campaign” against the coach.

What you should and should not do when reporting misconduct

Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools, requires universities to be impartial when investigating relationship violence or sexual assault in student relationships, says W. Scott Lewis, a partner at TNG Consulting who trains college administrators and sports officials on Title IX compliance.

But when it comes to their players, the coaches are clearly at odds, says Lewis.

“In some cases, they would stand in the living room during recruitment and tell the parents they would treat them like their own child,” he said. “That would be like a parent trying to examine their own child. You just don't do that.”

Lewis, co-founder of the Association of Title IX Administrators, said it is appropriate for them to speak to their athletes and provide support, but it is inappropriate for them to contact witnesses.

When they do, they can leave schools vulnerable to lawsuits or sanctions from the U.S. Department of Education, Lewis said. They can also cause further harm to those who have experienced traumatic experiences.

“If you start asking a lot of questions, you can actually do harm,” Lewis said. “Just another reason why you shouldn't do it.”

Anderson's attorney Aubri Thomas told KSL that Anderson is trying to find out what happened so he can fulfill his own obligation to promptly discipline the athlete if necessary.

“Our position overall is that he has complied with all the requirements of his contract as well as industry standards and what any football coach in the industry typically learns,” Thomas said.

The university says Anderson and the football staff received multiple trainings on their reporting responsibilities prior to this incident and held regular meetings with the Title IX office.

Outside of Utah, other college coaches and athletic departments have also been accused of circumventing the official process for handling reports of player misconduct.

As ESPN reported in 2020, Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo contacted a witness about an allegation of sexual assault before police did.

That same year, USA Today revealed that Louisiana State University's athletic department kept reports of sexual assault to itself. LSU has since settled a lawsuit with 10 women who accused the university of mishandling their cases. And last year, a jury in Texas found Baylor University guilty of failing to protect a student after she reported that a football player had assaulted her on multiple occasions. An investigation commissioned by the university found that the football team had its own disciplinary system that “reinforced the perception that rules that apply to other students do not apply to football players.”

A case in court and the consequences on campus

Bodycam video from April 2023 shows North Park police officers asking a woman about red marks on her neck, talking about what they believe was a grab and pulling on her hoodie, and recalling a questionnaire designed to assess a victim's risk of being killed in a domestic violence incident.

Former Utah State University starting quarterback Ajani Carter transferred schools and pleaded no contest to assault charges as part of a suspension agreement in Logan's First District Court.

According to court documents, the case will be dropped entirely in November if he meets the terms of the agreement: attending an anger management class and paying a $690 fee.

The former Aggie declined to comment for this story through his representing law firm, Pitcher Law.

To evaluate the response of the coach and the athletic department, the university hired the Kansas City-based law firm Husch Blackwell to conduct an investigation. The cost of the investigation was $137,000, according to copies of invoices provided by the university.

Like Anderson, former assistant athletic director Jerry Bovee has stressed that he did nothing wrong in his response. Bovee is currently in a formal review process to contest his firing and told KSL in a statement that he expects the school to change course.

“I trust that my alma mater and the institution I love will reverse and correct this decision once the truth comes to light – a decision that appears to be driven by the agenda of a few administrators, but is not for the benefit of the university as a whole,” Bovee said in a statement to KSL.

He said he has been committed throughout his career to “promoting the values ​​and goals of Title IX, including supporting and promoting female athletes and preventing and reporting any misconduct.”

The school also fired Austin Albrecht, the football team's director of player development and community service, for failing to follow policies on reporting sexual misconduct.

Albrecht said in a statement to KSL that he was “deeply disappointed and saddened by Utah State University's recent decisions.”

A campus under the microscope

These decisions came at a time when the school was still under federal scrutiny for mishandling reports of sexual harassment and assault under Title IX.

Utah State entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve its response following the release of a damning 2020 Justice Department report that documented widespread failures. The report stated, “It was common practice for the university to close records on incidents related to the football team after only minimal investigation.”

This story is of utmost importance to Utah State Athletic Director Diana Sabau.

“The Department of Justice has been living on campus since 2020 because of football,” Sabau told KSL. “We have to do better.”

Sabau took over as the school's top athletic administrator after the player's arrest and the coach's reaction came to light. She and the university president decided to come clean.

“Our coaches should know what to do and they do,” Sabau told KSL. “Sometimes good people make bad decisions. But we need to be held accountable for that.”

Anderson had already come under criticism in 2021 for telling his players on the subject of sexual assault that “being a victim has never been so glorified.”

The coach later apologized after an audio recording of his comments surfaced, saying he regretted the words he used.

The recording was part of a lawsuit filed by a student who claimed the school failed to respond appropriately to her complaint that she had been raped by a football player. Kaytri Flint later agreed to a $500,000 settlement with the university.

The Ministry of Justice's monitoring of the school will last until May 2025.

“We are closely monitoring the ongoing settlement with USU, which covers all of USU's programs and activities, including the athletic department,” a Justice Department spokesperson told KSL.

The federal agency did not respond to questions about its presence on campus or the impact of the case underlying the three dismissals.

Lewis said scenarios like the one in Utah – where multiple employees lost their jobs – are becoming more common.

“Schools take this more seriously today than they did 25 years ago,” Lewis said. In the past, he said, “it was accepted and tolerated. Today that is much less the case than it used to be.”

Have you experienced something you think is wrong? KSL Investigators want to help you. Send your tip to [email protected] or 385-707-6153 so we can take action on your behalf.

Additional resources:

If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, help is available.

If you have experienced sexual violence, you can get help and resources by calling Utah's 24-hour hotline for victims of sexual assault at 1-801-736-4356 (English) or 1-801-924-0860 (Spanish). You can also call Rape Recovery Center Phone Number during office hours at 801-467-7282 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential advice.