Utah
Review of Utah gymnastics coach found he did not engage in ‘severe, pervasive’ abuse
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SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah gymnastics coach Tom Farden did not engage in “any severe, pervasive or egregious acts” toward his student-athletes, according to an outside review conducted following allegations from former gymnasts.
The report, which was released publicly Thursday, was conducted after several former gymnasts and parents alleged emotional abuse from Farden that was reported on by the Deseret News. The alleged abuse was reported to university administrators and campus victim advocates before the campus hired Kansas City-based law firm Husch Blackwell to investigate the numerous allegations.
In total, Husch Blackwell investigators interviewed 45 individuals, including all 12 gymnasts on the 2022-23 team, seven former athletes, five parents of student-athletes, six members of the current coaching staff, 11 athletic department staff members, and four former staff members.
Husch Blackwell, in a summary of its findings, said Farden “did not engage in any acts of physical abuse, emotional abuse or harassment as defined by SafeSport Code” and NCAA regulations. Student-athletes did experience “negative” instances, but the findings found that they were isolated instances that “could not be independently corroborated.”
In several varying instances, what was alleged by former student-athletes was denied by Farden and there wasn’t enough “sufficient evidence” to say he violated any policies, the report said, though had they been corroborated, it would have “likely resulted in a finding that they violated” the policies.
Still, the university found need to put checks in place to ensure gymnasts are in an environment where they can feel physical and emotional safe.
“While the findings of the independent review by Husch Blackwell concluded that coach Farden’s actions were not ‘severe, pervasive or egregious’ by the objective standards of the SafeSport or NCAA policies, we still consider the experiences reported by members of the program over recent years with great care, compassion and sensitivity,” Utah athletics director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “As you can read in the report, there were a handful of instances in which coach Farden should have demonstrated greater compassion and self-control, and better professionalism.”
Harlan said he met with Farden “to express my disappointment and to share with him my expectations moving forward,” which includes a closer monitoring system of his program.
“I remain confident in coach Farden’s ability to continue to lead our gymnastics program and to maintain an environment that helps our student-athletes reach their greatest athletic potential while supporting their health, safety and well-being,” he added. ‘The department of athletics will continue to support our gymnastics program, including our student-athletes and coaches, in their efforts to maintain an elite program that consistently pursues excellence.”
As a result of the investigation into Farden and the gymnastics program, the University of Utah said it will implement five recommendations from Husch Blackwell, which are as follows:
- Creating and managing a performance improvement plan for coach Farden, including training in appropriate communication with student-athletes, leadership and emotional intelligence for interactions with student-athletes and creating a healthy team culture.
- Continuing to support the role of the student-athlete advocate, including regular monitoring of team practices and competitions, and educating student-athletes about the advocate’s role, so that she can be an independent resource to address student-athletes’ concerns.
- Working to communicate and involve parents in the gymnastics program, while still adhering to Athletics’ expectations for student-athletes to develop independence and complying with FERPA and HIPAA.
- Ensuring that all prospective and enrolled student-athletes understand the terms of their athletics scholarships. Considering whether to replace the gymnastics scholarship formula, which guarantees one year of financial support to annual renewals.
- Assigning athletics department leaders to attend more gymnastics practices and conduct regular, documented meetings with women’s gymnastics.
“I want to thank all of our current and former student-athletes, coaches and staff members who participated in the reviews, and especially the young women who first came forward with concerns,” Harlan said. “We must continue to foster a culture in Utah athletics in which student-athletes have the confidence, the ability and the systems to report concerns.
“The well-being of student-athletes is always top priority for the University of Utah Athletics Department. We treat any allegations of inappropriate behavior or abuse within our athletics programs with the utmost care and sensitivity. Student-athletes and their parents entrust their futures to us—not only their athletic training and education, but also their physical and mental health and well-being.”
In a statement, Farden said he cares “deeply” for the safety and well-being of the gymnasts he oversees, and understands that “privilege comes great responsibility, and I take very seriously the concerns that were expressed about my behavior and my coaching methods.”
“It has been painful to learn of the negative impacts that my words and actions have created, and I have thoroughly examined the accounts of every person who shared their experience through their participation in the program review,” Farden said.
“I have always placed a high priority on cultivating a positive and nurturing environment that allows our students to thrive not only as gymnasts but also as individuals, and I have learned of the areas that I must improve upon. I take to heart every lesson I have learned through this process, and I am fully committed to improving our student-athlete experience.”
Farden said he is appreciative to those who have offered their support during the investigation, but said he respects the “courage of those who expressed negative experiences from their interactions with me.”
“Their input has caused me to humbly reflect and hold myself accountable in order to improve,” Farden said. “I understand the magnitude of the responsibility of leading this historic Red Rocks program, and the high standard of expectations that come with it. I believe in open communication, mutual respect, and teamwork, and will move forward confidently in my commitment to being better for every person whom I’m entrusted to lead as head coach of the Red Rocks.”
The full version of the report can be viewed here or below.
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Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There is one game on the schedule for Sunday, which will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.
Game of the day
Utah Hockey Club at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NHLN, Utah16)
Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have all stepped up for the Maple Leafs (12-6-2) in the absence of captain Auston Matthews and look to continue the trend against Utah (8-9-3) at Scotiabank Arena. Marner has 12 points (four goals, eight assists), Nylander nine points (four goals, five assists) and Tavares eight points (four goals, four assists) in the seven games without Matthews, who is out with an upper-body injury. Toronto has won three in a row and is 6-1-0 without Matthews, who skated prior to practice Saturday and said he could return from an upper-body injury this upcoming week. Marner leads Toronto with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 20 games and has points in six of the seven games Matthews has missed. Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Wall made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday for his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL. Utah is playing the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in team history and will look to build on a 6-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist, and Clayton Keller had three assists, helping Utah end a three-game losing streak. Goalie Jaxson Stauber could make his Utah debut after being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Wednesday; the 25-year-old has not played an NHL game since Feb. 22, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks. No. 1 goalie Connor Ingram has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury.
It takes a complete football team to win a championship. Iowa State is finding that out with each passing week.
Seemingly left for dead in the heated Big 12 Conference race, the Cyclones now find themselves one win away from competing for the league title following a thrilling 31-28 victory over Utah Saturday night.
Iowa State (9-2, 7-2) reached the nine-win mark before a bowl game for the first time in program history, and could end one of the longest droughts in NCAA history by reaching 10 wins. The Cyclones and Vanderbilt are the only remaining Power 5 programs to never reach 10 wins, as Indiana did earlier this year.
After taking a 24-13 lead on Utah midway through the third quarter, the Cyclones needed a rally, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 91 seconds to go. The defense forced a missed field goal to seal the win.
Here are three stars from Iowa State’s win over Utah:
Known for his power running, Carson Hansen showed off his arm on a key third-down trick play that led to his second rushing touchdown. Hansen, a sophomore, took a halfback pass and found Gabe Burkle for a 26-yard completion.
That put the ball at the Utah 3 and Hansen would plow his way into the end zone on the next play for the game-winning points. He finished the night with a team-high 57 yards on 14 carries to go along with the 26-yard pass while also catching two balls for another 28 yards.
At 6-2 and over 220 pounds, Hansen is the thunder to Abu Sama’s lightning. He now has 11 rushing touchdowns on the year to go along with 560 yards after rushing for just 67 last season as a freshman.
Anytime Rocco Becht needed to make a big play in the passing game, he looked in the direction of Jayden Higgins. And Higgins stepped up for his quarterback, who was not quite as sharp as he typically has been.
Higgins finished with nine receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown, surpassing 1,000 yards for the season. The 6-foot-4 senior out of South Miami became just the seventh different Cyclone to reach the number after missing out last year with 983 yards.
With at least two, and maybe more, games to go, Higgins sits sixth on the school’s single-season list for yards with 1,015. Hakeem Butler is first with 1,318. Higgins and teammate Jaylin Noel, who has 976 yards, are set to become the first Cyclone teammates to eclipse 1,000 yards in the same season in school history.
Higgins is also just two yards away from becoming just the 10th Iowa State receiver to reach 2,000 career yards, joining the likes of Allen Lazard, Xavier Hutchinson and Charlie Kolar, along with Noel.
It’s been a difficult season in regards to injuries on both sides of the ball for Iowa State. But the defense has really been hurt with Malik Verdon out.
Verdon, a junior, recorded a team-leading 12 tackles including a sack, as the Cyclones held Utah to just 99 yards of total offense through three quarters.
And while the Utes were able to finally put together sustained drives in the fourth, when they needed to make a play, Iowa State did. Verdon went out for a short time after appearing to reinjure his arm that has a cast due to a hairline fracture, but would return to the field later in the fourth.
The Iowa State football team has two weeks to solidify themselves and possibly land a spot in the Big 12 championship game in December.
Part one of the two-piece series starts Saturday night, as the Cyclones (8-2, 5-2) make a visit to Salt Lake City to play Utah (4-6, 1-6).
Sitting a game behind co-conference leaders BYU and Colorado, Iowa State is in position but on the outside looking in for the time being. They also have red-hot Arizona State to contend with, as the Sun Devils have quickly climbed the standings and sit tied with ISU.
Utah has dropped six straight since starting the season off 4-0 as preseason favorites to win the Big 12. Of those six losses, four have been decided by eight points or less. Last Saturday, though, they suffered a 25-point setback to Colorado.
Along with several tough losses, the Utes have been without star quarterback Cam Rising since the losing skid began. Rising is out for the season following multiple injuries, as Isaac Wilson – the brother of NFL QB Zack Wilson – has replaced him.
Iowa State and Utah have a bit of a history, playing each other five times between 1970-2010. The Cyclones won the first four meetings between the two while the Utes won the most recent, claiming a 68-27 victory. Utah was undefeated and ranked 10th in the country during that encounter.
The oddsmakers have the Cyclones set as a 6.5-point favorite. ESPN’s FPI puts them at just over 63 percent to win the game.
Here are the details on how to watch, stream and follow Iowa State’s game at Utah on Saturday night:
Iowa State at Utah TV Channel, Live Stream, Odds
Who: Iowa State at Utah in a Big 12 football game
When: 6:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, November 23
Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City, Utah
Live Stream: Stream Iowa State-Cincinnati live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: FOX
Betting Odds: Iowa State is favored by 6.5 points. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportbook
Our Prediction: Iowa State 24, Utah 10
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Iowa State on SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup.
* Latest betting odds for Iowa State
* Matt Campbell talks up the Utah defense
* Cyclones right back into contention in wild, wild Big 12
*Three stars in Iowa State’s win over Cincinnati including Stevo Klotz
*Complete game recap of Iowa State’s win over Cincinnati
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