OMAHA, Neb. — (AP) â A former Nebraska women’s basketball player alleges coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts did not take appropriate action when her sexual relationship with an assistant coach became widely known.
Ashley Scoggin filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court describing how Chuck Love allegedly took a special interest in her and how the relationship turned sexual and caused Scoggin to fear retaliation if she refused to engage in it.
The lawsuit was filed Sunday and, in addition to Williams and Alberts, names the university’s Board of Regents and Love as defendants. Scoggin seeks a jury trial in Lincoln and unspecified damages for the alleged violation of her civil rights.
Williams and a spokesperson for the regents declined to comment. Alberts and Love did not immediately respond to text and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
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âIt’s a very troubling and serious subject of predatory coaches that pursue sexual relationships with student-athletes,â Scoggin attorney Maren Chaloupka said. “There’s an enormous imbalance of power between the professional coach and student-athletes. This is something that was well known in 2022.
âCertainly Division I universities that operate at the top level are well aware of the harm that comes from this kind of a predatory situation, and there’s a strong onus on the university and on the coaches to prevent this from happening and, heaven forbid it does happen, to address is correctly.â
Scoggin played two seasons for the Cornhuskers. She was dismissed from the team on the same day Love was suspended with pay in February 2022. Love resigned three months later. Scoggin now plays at UNLV.
Williams and Alberts are accused of not setting rules, training or policies prohibiting staff members from having sexual relationships with athletes, with the lawsuit alleging that the lack of safeguards âwas so reckless that misconduct involving sexual misconduct by coaches was inevitable as of September 2021.”
According to the lawsuit:
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Scoggin had an internship in the athletic department in the summer of 2021 and she expressed interest in becoming a coach someday. Love invited Scoggin to work at a small table in his office, and she accepted.
Love, who was married, asked Scoggin personal questions, including the type of alcohol she preferred, and Love began asking her to go out for drinks with him. Scoggin declined several invitations but eventually accepted one. A few days later, they met late at night in a Costco parking lot, where Love kissed her and asked, âHave you ever done anything with a coach before?â
The interaction left Scoggin feeling âconfused and trappedâ because âit was now undeniable that Love wanted a sexual relationship.â Once the relationship turned sexual, Love expected Scoggin to be âavailable and willingâ whenever he wanted to have sex and included summoning her to his hotel room when the team traveled for away games.
On the night before a game at Penn State in February 2022, team members and practice players created a ruse to confirm and videotape Scoggin’s presence in Love’s hotel room. A male practice player falsely represented himself to the desk clerk as Love to obtain a duplicate room key. Two team members confronted Scoggin in Love’s room. They reported their findings and showed the video to Williams.
âWilliams cast Ashley in the role of a seducer and a liar,â the lawsuit said. âShe allowed the players to berate and accuse Ashley for hours. She did not redirect or counsel the players that what they had seen may be the result of an abuse of power by her associate head coach.â
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Upon returning to Lincoln, Scoggin was not informed of her rights under Title IX and in a meeting with Williams and other members of the administration was told she was off the team, according to the complaint.
Scoggin’s dismissal and Love’s suspension were reported simultaneously by the media.
âNU, Williams and Alberts were motivated to avoid scandal and embarrassment to the Cornhuskers women’s basketball program instead of being motivated to protect its student-athlete, Ashley,” the lawsuit said.
âNU, Williams and Alberts allowed the speculation and perception to fester that Ashley was âequally to blameâ or otherwise had done something improper when they should have sent a clear message that it is always improper for a professional coach to pursue a sexual relationship with a student-athlete.â
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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Alexis Markowski scored 22 points, Natalie Potts had a double-double and No. 21 Nebraska cruised to an 84-58 win over Southern on Tuesday night.
Potts had 17 points and 12 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, for the Cornhuskers (3-0). Alberte Rimdal added 12 points.
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Aniya Gourdine scored 22 points for the Jaguars (0-4), who have played the hardest opening schedule in the country. Their other losses were to Top 10 teams Oklahoma and Iowa State as well as Missouri and head to Colorado for their next game.
Nebraska only led 15-13 after one quarter and closed the second with a 10-0 run to lead 36-26 at halftime. The Cornhuskers had an early 7-0 run in the third quarter, which ended with an 8-0 for a 61-43 lead.
Nebraska had a 46-26 rebounding advantage and was a plus-20 inside. The Cornhuskers also went 25 of 36 from the foul line while the Jaguars were 6 of 10.
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The 4-5 USC Trojans face the 5-4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, and the Trojans are making a quarterback change and attempting to become bowl eligible. The Cornhuskers are just one win away from bowl eligibility but have made changes of their own on the offensive side of the ball.
Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule spoke in the weekly press conference about the matchup with USC. The Nebraska quarterback starting against the Trojans is still up in the air. Rhule said the team will see how quarterback Dylan Raiola is doing but is preparing Heinrich Haarberg.
When asked about how the team is preparing both quarterbacks with their different playing styles, Rhule’s response remained ambiguous.
Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule high fives quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
“That’s why I’m not gonna let anybody talk to you guys tomorrow because you guys are really good at your jobs, and I appreciate that,” Rhule said.
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While speaking about Nebraska’s quarterback situation, Rhule changed the conversation to having to prepare for a new USC quarterback. Jayden Maiava will be making his first start for USC but has played numerous games in his career while at UNLV.
“We’re sitting here trying to figure what to do with, you know, they’ve changed the quarterback. You know, we’re watching UNLV film and spring film and all that,” Rhule said.
Rhule expanded on the challenges of preparing for Maiava. While there is film on him, Maiava has not played much under the USC offensive scheme.
“It’s sort of the same thing, right? You’re sitting there looking at, you know, what do they do well, and they do a lot well.” Rhule said. “Maiava, you know, he has the ability to move.”
Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule talks with officials after an interception during the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Rhule also spoke about how well USC coach Lincoln Riley utilizes the run game each week. The Nebraska coach spoke highly about Trojans running back Woody Marks, who has been having a strong season.
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“The tailback is, I mean, like all Lincoln Riley offenses, you know, Marks is a fantastic tailback. He’s explosive, dynamic. They’re, you know, I’ve coached against Coach Riley for a long time. He’s going to find a way to run the football. He’s elite at what he does,” Rhule said. “Even in the last game against Washington, they got back in the game by just running the football at a high level.”
Rhule then spoke about the Trojans’ receiving core, highlighting wide receiver Zachariah Branch and his ability as the slot receiver.
“Branch is, you know, excellent excellent excellent slot,” Rhule said. “They have some guys that can really go on the outside.”
USC’s offensive weapons make it more challenging for Nebraska to defend the offense. Being able to run the ball well and now having Maiava’s ability to run is difficult to contain. If USC gets the run game going early, that could open the passing game.
Aug 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts during the second quarter against the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“Now as a defense, you’re having to defend the counter and the tackle trap and all these plays that they run. Plus, the opportunity for the quarterback to pull the ball and run because he, you know, he’s a dual threat player,” Rhule said. “And you don’t know exactly which direction they’re going to go with him.”
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The Nebraska fanbase is a loyal one. Rhule closed speaking to the media giving the Nebraska fanbase credit on the road, and how it will help them against USC.
“I think the impact of our fans on the road always is elite,” Rhule said. “When they do show up in mass it limits the need for the silent cadences and all the things that make being on the road hard.”
The USC Trojans and Nebraska Cornhuskers will kick off at 1 p.m. PT in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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Former South Carolina Gamecock offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield demoted at Nebraska.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have had a bit of an up and down season this year and head coach Matt Rhule announced a coaching change. Former South Carolina Gamecock offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been demoted and long-time college coach Dana Holgorsen will take over the play calling duties.
Satterfield was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He has since been the offensive coordinator at Nebraska, but now is just the tight ends coach as of this week.
Nebraska this season ranks 99th in points per game averaging just 23.6 per game. They also rank 96th for total offense as they are averaging 354.1 yards per game. Holgorsen was a long-time head coach at West Virginia throughout the 2010s, was head coach at Houston from 2019-2023 and most recently was a scout and advisor at TCU this season.
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During Satterfield’s time at South Carolina, the Gamecocks averaged 22.6 points per game in 2021 and then 32.2 points per game in 2022. Satterfield would then resign from his position with the Gamecocks during the 2022 season before the team’s bowl game against Notre Dame.
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