LOGAN — In the wake of being fired from his position as Deputy Athletic Director at Utah State University, Jerry Bovee and his legal representatives have released a public response, defending Bovee against allegations from USU that it used to justify his termination.
On July 2, Utah State announced the termination of Bovee, along with football Head Coach Blake Anderson and football Director of Player Development and Community Austin Albrecht. In Bovee’s case, the reason Utah State gave for the firing is “violations of university policies related to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and failures of professional responsibilities.”
The statement sent to Cache Valley Daily by Bovee’s representative categorically denies the university’s claims.
“Bovee and two other USU employees did in fact report the incident to the USU Office of Equity,” the statement says, also stating that “Bovee is a firm supporter and defender of Title IX civil rights law. In his tenured career, he has never incurred disciplinary action or accusations of misconduct of any kind.”
I received this formal statement from Jerry Bovee’s representative, his first public response to his firing from Utah State as Deputy Athletic Director. pic.twitter.com/t6fo2xm9gp
— Jason Walker (@jwalker_sports) July 7, 2024
The incident in question occurred in April 2023 according to Bovee’s statement. At that time, Bovee was serving as interim director of athletics following the departure of John Hartwell in Nov. 2022 (Bovee held the title until August of last year when Diana Sabau was hired to fill the position). Bovee would have been responsible for reporting any incidents or violations to the USU Office of Equity. The statement from USU alleges failure to follow university policy regarding mandatory reporting based on the findings of an “external review.”
Bovee’s representation says he was “blind-sided” by the decision to terminate him and believes “he was terminated based on an inconclusive and untimely review of an incident that took place more than a year ago in April of 2023,” further claiming he was fired “without an opportunity to respond to the results” of the external review of the events in question.
Bovee intends to file a grievance, according to the statement, and will do so within the 30-day window provided by USU policy. In the statement’s conclusion it states Bovee “cannot comment further other than to say he has no ill will against USU, an institution that he loves.”
Anderson has also responded to his firing and the allegations against him, as previously reported by Cache Valley Daily. His statement from his legal representation also claims no wrongdoing on his part.
