A former female basketball player at the University of Nebraska is taking legal action against the program for their failure to intervene and take appropriate measures when her relationship with an assistant coach became public. Ashley Scoggin has filed a civil lawsuit, detailing how her relationship with then-associate head coach Chuck Love turned sexual and expressing her concerns about potential retaliation if she refused to comply.
Scoggin is suing the current head coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts, and has included Love and the university’s board of regents as defendants. Williams and Alberts are being accused of neglecting to provide training or implementing policies that prohibit staff members from engaging in sexual relationships with athletes.
In 2021, Scoggin had an internship with the athletic department at Nebraska, where she expressed her aspiration to pursue coaching in the future, as stated in the lawsuit. Love extended an invitation to her to work at a table in his office, which she accepted. The lawsuit alleges that Love asked Scoggin personal questions and invited her for drinks. Despite declining multiple times, she eventually accepted the invitation. According to the suit, Love kissed Scoggin and inquired, “Have you ever engaged in any inappropriate behavior with a coach before?”
The lawsuit also reveals that before a game against Penn State in February 2022, team members and staff devised a plan to secretly record Scoggin in Love’s hotel room. Two individuals confronted Scoggin and presented the video they had captured to Williams, falsely portraying Scoggin as the instigator of the relationship. Upon returning to Nebraska, Williams removed Scoggin from the team.
The lawsuit states, “Williams portrayed Ashley as a temptress and a liar. She allowed the players to verbally abuse and accuse Ashley for hours. She failed to redirect or counsel the players that what they witnessed might be the result of an abuse of power by her associate head coach.”
Scoggin played for the Cornhuskers for two seasons from 2020 to 2022. She was dismissed from the team on the same day Love was suspended. Scoggin subsequently transferred to UNLV, where she currently competes.
“This is a deeply concerning and grave issue concerning predatory coaches who pursue sexual relationships with student-athletes,” stated Maren Chaloupka, Scoggin’s attorney, in an interview with ESPN. “There is a significant power imbalance between professional coaches and student-athletes. This was widely acknowledged in 2022. Division I universities operating at the highest level are well aware of the harm caused by such predatory situations, and there is a strong responsibility on the university and the coaches to prevent it from happening and, if it does occur, to handle it appropriately.”
University spokesperson Melissa Lee released a statement acknowledging the lawsuit, but as of now, neither Williams nor Love have commented on the matter.
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