Idaho volleyball players ask school to place Chris Gonzalez on leave

Idaho women’s volleyball team members formally asked the university’s president and athletic director on Thursday to place Vandals head coach Chris Gonzalez and his coaching staff on leave until a school investigation into abuse allegations against Gonzalez is completed, according to documents obtained by the Southern California News Group.

The requests to Idaho president C. Scott Green and athletics director Terry Gawlik come as the U.S. Center for SafeSport is reviewing an abuse complaint against Gonzalez, according to a confidential SafeSport document obtained by SCNG.

“The school has not taken any steps to ensure our safety,” Emma Patterson, an Idaho middle blocker said Thursday.

The request also comes against the backdrop of Gawlick informing Idaho players that she plans to meet with them on Tuesday, according to an email obtained by SCNG. It will be the first time Gawlick has met with Idaho players since an SCNG report on December 30 revealed player allegations that Gonzalez has routinely physically, verbally and emotionally abused players during his two seasons at the Big Sky Conference school.

To date 11 current and former Idaho players, three parents and two university employees have alleged to SCNG that Gonzalez, a Southern California native and former U.S. national team coach, has regularly bullied players, pushed players so hard in practices that they have fallen over, that he pressured athletes to play and/or train against the instructions of the school’s sports medicine staff, body shamed players, made racially insensitive and inappropriate remarks to players, and touched players in ways that made them uncomfortable.

The players and their parents have also alleged that Gawlik and other university officials have repeatedly ignored or dismissed their complaints or concerns over the past 17 months.

Gonzalez is scheduled to hold his first practice with players on January 18.

“It’s deeply concerning to me that my care and my teammates care is being placed back into his hands,” Patterson said referring to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez and university spokesperson Jodi Walker did not respond to requests for comment.

Gonzalez is currently being investigated by the university’s Office of Civil Rights and Investigations and Thompson & Horton, a Texas-based law firm hired by the school to investigate volleyball’s “climate and culture” under Gonazlaez.

A Notice of Alleged Violation & Investigation sent by the OCRI to players on November 30 stated that athletes may opt out of non-physical volleyball team activities, including team or individual player meetings and social activities, by communicating their decision to opt out to Gonzalez via email before the “relevant activity.”

At least four players informed both Gonzalez and the OCRI on Thursday “that for all subsequent meetings following the one taking place on January 16th, unless and until we tell you otherwise, we are opting out of all other non-physical volleyball team activities this semester,” according to an email provided SCNG.In their letter to Green and Gawlik, players went even further. At an unofficial team dinner Wednesday night, 10 of the 12 players attended and all approved the letter.

“We are writing to follow up on the detailed information we have given you about the harm and mistreatment the women’s volleyball team has been subjected to by Head Coach Chris Gonzales and his assistant coaches,” the players wrote. “As you know and the press reported on December 30, 2023, we and our teammates have given you extensive information – through meetings, interviews, and 15 single-spaced pages of details – documenting that, throughout the past two years, our coaches have physically and psychologically abused us and our teammates, endangered our safety, and subjected us to sex discrimination and harassment.

“As the press also reported, in response to our formal request on October 16, 2023, the school told us on October 30 that it was going to initiate a Title IX investigation, but agreed to delay doing so until after November 15, when the volleyball season ended, because we feared the coach and his assistants would treat us even worse if they knew about the investigation. The school initiated the investigation after that and, according to more press reports, just expanded it to include the team’s ‘climate and culture,’ which should include all aspects of the head coach’s and assistant coaches’ conduct. The school has not, however, placed the head coach or the assistant coaches on administrative leave while the investigation is being conducted. This has placed us in a position of danger.

“We had not received any communications from the head coach or the assistant coaches since the December 30 press report was issued, but we were just notified by one assistant coach that the team will be meeting next Tuesday and that practice will start next Thursday. We continue to fear retaliation by the head coach and the assistant coaches – and would not feel safe returning to practice or competition with them.

“So, we are formally requesting that the coach and the assistant coaches be placed on administrative leave – and/or precluded from coaching us – at least until the Title IX investigation and the upcoming spring season are completed. We have already identified one individual working in the University’s Athletics Department we believe would be qualified to coach us, we would feel safe with as our coach, and who has said she would be willing to coach us on an interim basis through the spring season – and we believe there may be others, too. We ask that this person or someone qualified who we would feel safe with be assigned to coach us this spring. We have already informed the necessary parties that we are choosing to opt out of all non-physical volleyball activities, per the supportive measures granted to us by the OCRI. But we should not have to avoid volleyball activities just to be safe from our coaches.

“We hope you agree. We have been in communication with council that has advised us to formally request this, and to express our concerns about the retention of staff during an open investigation, and will continue to take further steps until our safety for this spring season is assured. “

University officials, Gawlik in particular, have been sharply criticized by players, alumni, boosters and some members of the Idaho media for not placing Gonzalez on leave while an investigation by the school’s Office of Civil Rights and Investigations and another probe by Texas law firm hired by the university proceed. Players and critics have also questioned Gawlik’s decision to attend the NCAA Convention this week in Phoenix in the midst of what even some of her supporters have described as the biggest crisis of her 4 1/2 year tenure as the Vandals AD.

“Just as a follow up for the Tuesday meeting instead of practice that day (athletes you will not need to dress in practice gear), I thought it important to meet with the team to bring everyone up to speed on the OCRI investigation,” Gawlick wrote in the email to players and coaches. “Coaches will not be present at this meeting and we will also have some other resources to introduce to everyone and provide information.”

Multiple Idaho players said they have not heard from university officials since the initial SCNG report was published nearly three weeks ago. Gonzalez has been spotted on campus this week.

“We definitely have some concerns,” Patterson said of the scheduled meeting with Gawlik. “At this point, she’s not on our side. We’re mostly confused (about the meeting) because A) why now is she trying to saying something? We’re concerned about her motivation behind this.”

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