LOGAN — Earlier this week, Utah State University published an update to its original announcement that revealed the terminations of what was eventually four individuals, Blake Anderson, Jerry Bovee, Amy Crosbie and Austin Albrecht. It’s stated purpose was to be a “response to misinformation circling online.” Athletics Director Diana Sabau also spoke with media prior to the football team’s media days, answering questions from reporters.
The update is primarily an explanation of when the Husch Blackwell law firm was retained to conduct the external review and what the firm was tasked with doing. USU said in its statement that former president Noelle Cockett was the one who initiated the process of having an external review done in July 2023, doing so by request of the USU Office of Equity and Office of Legal Affairs.
The duties of Husch Blackwell in the investigation, according to USU, were five-fold.
- Determine which employees learned of allegations of sexual misconduct by a USU football player in April 2023
- Determine how the employees received knowledge of the allegations
- Determine when the employees learned of the allegations
- Determine who the employees told of the allegations
- Identify relevant employees’ understanding of reporting policies
According to USU, when the Elizabeth Cantwell took over as president from Cockett, the investigation continued “at the approval and request” of Cantwell. USU said that Bovee and Anderson were contacted by investigators in “mid-August.” This timeline contradicts Anderson’s sworn declaration in which he states that after the events of April 2023, he heard nothing until “late Fall 2023” at which time he recalled being interviewed (though Anderson’s statement admits not knowing specifics, such as who interviewed him so it’s possible these differing details could be reconciled by the faulty nature of human memory).
On Thursday, Sabau spoke to the media and answered questions for just under 20 minutes, offering her own words in addition to Tuesday’s update. She re-iterated that she had nothing to do with the investigation and wasn’t aware of it until she arrived on campus in August 2023.
“In all of my training with intercollegiate athletics, I realized when there is an investigation, when law enforcement agencies are involved, as an administrator of intercollegiate athletics, the approach should be hands-off,” Sabau said. “I didn’t receive updates. I did not know who was being interviewed, and I was made aware of the findings when they were presented to the University President and administration.”
Sabau also gave her response to the letter signed by more than 100 current and former athletes and supporters of USU athletics. This letter was sent to the Utah Board of Higher Education and the Utah State Board of Trustees and voiced support for Crosbie and Bovee. It also called for a third-party investigation into their firings.
“I believe in supporting who you believe that you want to support as individuals,” Sabau said. “That’s your independent choice. And those people should have that right.”
More than 100 current and former USU athletes sign letter supporting Bovee, Crosbie, call for investigation into firings
After offering her support of the right to make the statements made in the letter, Sabau said that at least three athletes reached out to her to say they did not give consent to be among the 111 names listed on the letter. Isaac Johnson, a center for USU basketball, is likely at least one of those as he posted a statement on Instagram which said his name, which appeared on the letter, should not have been included.
Shortly after mentioning those three athletes, Sabau said “these are young people. We should be focusing on serving young people, not exploiting them, not using them to a greater good or to highlight anyone’s profession or career.”
Utah State Director of Athletics Diana Sabau visited with members of the media at the start of USU’s football media day on August 1, 2024.
