Utah State has informed football coach Blake Anderson of its intent to fire him after an external investigation into alleged failure to comply with Title IX policies “that require full and timely reporting of disclosures of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence,” it was announced Tuesday.
In a statement, Utah State said the investigation stemmed from “actions taken in spring 2023” that “violated both his employment contract and university policy.” It also alleges Anderson violated rules that “prohibit employees from investigating disclosures of sexual misconduct on their own.”
The university said Anderson had 14 days to respond, under the terms of his employment contract.
Tom Mars, the attorney representing Anderson, released a statement regarding the Utah state’s decision.
“Like any university, Utah State could fire Blake Anderson for any reason, as long as it pays his severance,” Mars said. “However, based on the facts alleged and the language in Blake’s employment contract, USU is going to have an uphill battle if it tries to fire him for cause just to avoid paying Blake what he is owed.”
“Tightening up a head coach by blaming him for what his supervisor did not do is a novel approach that has never been tried before, but this theory will never hold up in court.”
Associate athletic director Jerry Bovee and director of player development Austin Albrecht were also fired “for violating university policies related to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and for failure to fulfill professional responsibilities.”
Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling was named interim coach for the 2024 season, while athletic director Diana Sabau met with the team and football staff Tuesday to inform them of the news.
“As leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that allegations of violations of USU policies are investigated,” university President Elizabeth Cantwell and Sabau said in a joint statement. “Today’s actions are the result of a thorough external investigation, and we believe the evidence demands immediate action.”
“Our job is to hold ourselves and others accountable for our fearless conduct and to ensure that, for the sake of our students and our community, we live by our university values. While we recognize the impact of these decisions on our student-athletes and our football program, we will continue to take the necessary steps to provide a respectful, transparent and winning culture at Utah State University.”
Anderson, 55, is 23-17 in three seasons at Utah State, winning the Mountain West Conference in 2021. The Aggies, however, are 6-7 in consecutive seasons since, losing in the famed Idaho Potato Bowl to cap off last season.
He previously coached at Arkansas State, going 51-37 from 2014-20. He took a leave of absence before the 2019 season, just before his wife, Wendy Anderson, died after a two-year battle with breast cancer.
He also experienced another personal tragedy. His son Cason committed suicide in 2022 at the age of 21. Anderson then became a mental health advocate.
Utah State opens the 2024 season against Robert Morris on Aug. 31 before visiting USC and hosting Utah over the next two weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
