Whistleblower in SJSU Sports Trainer Sex Abuse Scandal Speaks Out

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After months of investigating, this week the Department of Justice issued a damming study saying San Jose State University botched an probe into a sports trainer accused of sexually abusing much than 20 pupil athletes.

The study besides recovered the assemblage retaliated against employees who tried to support the victims.

Now, 1 of the captious whistleblowers, who was fired for speaking up is present sharing his communicative exclusively with NBC Bay Area.

Steve O’Brien was the erstwhile lawman diversion manager astatine San Jose State.

He told NBC Bay Area successful 2019, aquatics manager Sage Hopkins shared concerns astir an probe going backmost much than a decade, looking into suspected intersexual maltreatment by caput trainer Scott Shaw.

“That helium had mistreated and sexually abused aggregate swimmers and that the university’s bladed records were not maintained,” helium said.

Hopkins took his complaints to the NCAA and O’Brien said apical administrators asked him to subject the aquatics manager without intelligibly explaining why.

“I was bring directed to transportation that retired and it struck maine arsenic incorrect successful an progressive Title IX investigation. I couldn’t beryllium a enactment to that," O'Brien told NBC Bay Area Wednesday.

Then, O’Brien took his concerns to CSU ineligible counsel. Weeks later, erstwhile SJSU diversion manager Marie Tuite fired him.

“I knew I did the close thing,” helium said. “I knew I would person terrible nonrecreational consequences for maine but I thought mostly astir the pupil athletes and the ongoing maltreatment and the efforts of the aquatics manager to telephone them to airy and enactment an extremity to it.”

Federal investigators concluded 23 pupil athletes were inappropriately touched by Shaw and blasted San Jose State for allowing him to proceed to enactment with pistillate athletes.

The national study says helium is accused of sexually harassing a pupil jock arsenic precocious arsenic February 2020. The justness section besides admonished the assemblage for retaliating against 2 employees including O’Brien.

“It does marque maine grateful I came guardant due to the fact that if I hadn’t, I wonderment however overmuch longer it’s would person gone on,” helium added.

NBC Bay Area reached retired to San Jose State, which provided a connection which said successful part: “We convey each the individuals who courageously came guardant during the investigation. To the affected student- athletes and their families, we profoundly apologize.”

Earlier this week, San Jose State University agreed to wage $1.6 cardinal to the victims and overhaul its Title IX office and its process for responding to intersexual harassment complaints.

As, for O’Brien, helium and his attorneys are pursuing ineligible enactment against the CSU claiming wrongful termination.

“Steve O’Brien acted to support different whistleblower successful a Title IX probe and helium was fired 3 weeks later,” said Tamarah Prevost, O’Brien’s attorney.

O’Brien told NBC Bay Area that adjacent though his nonrecreational estimation took a hit, helium would marque the aforesaid determination again successful a heartbeat.

“I person a family. I person to beryllium capable to look astatine them and archer them one did the close happening autarkic of the consequences,” helium said.

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