BERKELEY, Calif. (Diya TV) — An assistant coach for the Cal men’s basketball team was fired Monday following an investigation into alleged sexual harassment. It’s the second time in as many weeks the university has been embattled in the scandal of sexual harassment — last week, the university announced law school dean Sujit Choudhry would resign amid the accusations of sexual harassment in a recently filed lawsuit.
University investigators concluded after a probe which lasted several months that assistant basketball coach Yann Hufnagel, who joined the school’s coaching staff two years ago, had violated the school’s anti-sexual harassment policy. Details of the said allegations are yet to be released. Before joining Cal’s coaching staff, Hufnagel served one season as an assistant at Vanderbilt University, and for the four previous seasons at Harvard in the same capacity.
The announcement comes one day after Cal and head coach Cuonzo Martin were seeded No. 4 in the South region for Friday’s upcoming NCAA tournament — the highest ranking in school history. The Bears will play No. 13 ranked Hawaii in their first game on Friday in Spokane, Washington. Martin fired Hufnagel after receiving a report from the Office for the Prevention of Harassment.
“You’re talking about a guy that’s a part of your staff, a family member,” Martin said in a teleconference with reporters late Monday morning. “You continue to push forward. There are always bumps in the road. … It’s not an easy thing, but we’ll find our way.”
Monday morning, the school’s athletics department released a statement that, “effective immediately, Hufnagel has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the termination process and will not be traveling with the team during its NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament run.”
Hufnagel could not be reached for comment, however, he tweeted: “Right now, the only focus should be on our basketball team! My time to exonerate myself of a fruitless claim by a reporter will come.”
Hufnagel has been credited with the development of former Crimson standout Jeremy Lin, who now plays for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. In its 2012-13 College Basketball Preview, CBS Sports named Hufnagel one of its nine “Dream Team” assistant coaches.
BERKELEY, Calif. (Diya TV) — An assistant coach for the Cal men’s basketball team was fired Monday following an investigation into alleged sexual harassment. It’s the second time in as many weeks the university has been embattled in the scandal of sexual harassment — last week, the university announced law school dean Sujit Choudhry would resign amid the accusations of sexual harassment in a recently filed lawsuit.
