University of Idaho president urges patience during volleyball investigation

The president of the University of Idaho for the first time on Friday commented about a monthslong inquiry into claims of physical and emotional abuse lodged by members of the women’s volleyball team against their coach.

C. Scott Green emailed a lengthy message Friday that was addressed to alumni asking them for patience and to allow the process to work as the university investigates reports involving coach Scott Gonzalez, who is paid $90,000 a year, has not been placed on leave and is continuing to coach some of the players who have made allegations against him.

“Our nation is a country of laws and due process, and we are intent on staying true to that notion of fairness and justice,” Green wrote. “Having said that, it would be improper to comment further on the investigation until its conclusion. Just as a judge will not comment or provide interviews on an ongoing case, I will not comment publicly or provide interviews regarding the investigation.”

Those allegations have been documented in a series of stories by the Orange County Register, which through interviews and documents claims to have uncovered an alleged history of abuse and bullying from Gonzalez going back decades to his time in Southern California.

To date, several current or former Idaho players, six parents and three university employees say Gonzalez has bullied and physically, verbally and emotionally abused Vandals players, pressured them to play or practice while injured, and denied athletes food throughout his two seasons at UI.

Gonzalez also is alleged to have pushed or shoved two players to the ground during practices in 2022 and to have improperly touched athletes during practice drills, according to player interviews and university documents reported by the Orange County Register.

The remnants of the 18-player 2023 squad, which Gonzalez coached to a record of 1-27, began practicing this week for offseason workouts.

But the university did not let players know until about 9 p.m. the day before the first practice whether players could opt out of practicing in front of the same coach for whom some of them had publicly lodged complaints.

Senior Emma Patterson, 22, of Boise, told The Spokesman-Review earlier this week that only eight players showed up for the practice at which Gonzalez did not refer to the allegations against him.

Green noted that the university has made resources available to the players.

“There have been many questions regarding issues raised by some of the members of our Vandal volleyball team, parents and a few alumni, and we have responded directly to those inquiries,” Green wrote. “Some have insinuated that the University of Idaho has taken no action, which is not accurate, and we wanted to take this opportunity to update our entire Vandal community on the steps taken and the process going forward.”

The university has hired Houston-based Thompson & Horton, LLP, as a third-party reviewer of the volleyball team’s climate and culture.

Thompson & Horton is the same law firm that defended the University of Baylor in a 2016 federal civil suit settled last year with 15 survivors of sexual assault who alleged that Baylor “permitted a campus rife with sexual assault” for years.

Green said the law firm’s investigation “will be delivered to me.”

“It will contain the claims made and relevant facts as determined by the statements of the claimants, witnesses and the defendant,” he wrote. “I will then determine what actions, if any, need to be taken.”

He also said he does not expect to make those reports public “unless released by the defendant.”

Green, as he noted in the letter, has not made himself available for interviews.

Responding to a request originally sent Jan. 5 and renewed this week by The Spokesman-Review to interview Green, athletic director Terry Gawlik and Gonzalez, university spokeswoman Jodi Walker responded after 5 p.m. Thursday to answer a few questions.

Asked how much the university is paying Thompson & Horton, Walker noted that the law firm has been contracted by the university to conduct investigations for the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations.

“President Green authorized the expansion of that investigation to include climate and climate (sic) issues,” Walker wrote. “There is no set dollar amount for this service but is done on an hourly basis.”

In his letter, Green said the university has taken multiple steps to ensure the volleyball players have access to services.

“Our primary goal remains to uphold our values and the principles of an inclusive, supportive and nurturing learning environment that all our students rightfully deserve,” he wrote. “We are committed to a timely, fair and thorough investigation. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the investigative process.”