Utah St. notifies football coach of intent to fire
Utah State has notified football coach Blake Anderson of its intent to fire him after an external examination of alleged noncompliance of Title IX policies “that need complete and prompt reporting of disclosures of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence,” it was revealed Tuesday.In a statement, Utah State said the investigation stemmed from “actions taken in spring 2023” that “violated both his employment arrangement and university policy.” It likewise alleges Anderson having violated guidelines that “restrict staff members from examining disclosures of sexual misconduct themselves.”
The university said Anderson has 14 days to respond under regards to his work agreement.Deputy athletic director Jerry Bovee and director of player advancement Austin Albrecht were likewise fired “for offenses of university policies connected to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and failures of expert responsibilities.”Protective coordinator Nate Dreiling has actually been named interim coach for the 2024 season, while athletic director Diana Sabau consulted with the team and the football personnel Tuesday to notify them of the news.”As leaders, we are responsible for guaranteeing accusations
of USU policy violations are examined,”university president Elizabeth Cantwell and Sabau said in a joint declaration. “Today’s actions are the result of an extensive external investigation, and we believe the proof requires immediate action.”Our job is to fearlessly hold ourselves and others accountable for their conduct and to ensure that, for the sake of our trainees and our community, we are living the worths of our university. While recognizing the impact of these choices on our student athletes and football program, we will continue to take the actions required to deliver a respectful, transparent and gaining culture at Utah State University.”Anderson, 55, has actually gone 23-17 in 3 seasons at Utah State, winning the Mountain West Conference in 2021. The Aggies, however, have gone 6-7 in back-to-back seasons because, losing in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to cap last season.He previously functioned as coach at Arkansas State, going 51-37 from 2014 to 2020. He took a leave of absence prior to the 2019 season right before his better half, Wendy Anderson, died after a two-year battle with breast cancer.He’s sustained another individual tragedy too. His son Cason died by suicide in 2022 at age 21.
Anderson then ended up being a supporter for psychological health.Utah State opens the 2024 season versus Robert Morris on Aug. 31 before checking out USC and hosting Utah in the following 2 weeks.The Associated Press contributed to this report.