The University of Toledo conducted a two-month investigation in 2015 into allegations against now-disgraced former women’s soccer coach Brad Evans after a former assistant coach came forward accusing Evans of sexual misconduct.
The result was a 121-page report, which was obtained by The Blade through an open-records request. The investigation was overseen by Cheryl F. Wolff of Spengler Nathanson, along with UT’s general counsel and UT senior human resources compliance specialist Melissa Auberle.
An email from Candice Fabry to Kelly Andrews, UT’s Senior Woman Administrator and the sport administrator for women’s soccer, prompted the investigation, as Fabry told Andrews about untoward interactions with Evans during the 2007-08 season, the one year Fabry spent as an assistant coach.
The lewd accusations included forced kissing and touching, which were detailed in a report published by The Guardian in July, exposing details alleging grooming, sexual misconduct, comments about players' breasts, and verbal abuse by Evans over several years.
Multiple complaints regarding potential Title IX violations have reportedly been sent to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, though the Department of Education has not notified UT about opening any investigations into new Title IX complaints, a university spokesperson told The Blade.
The report indicates that UT acted swiftly when it was informed about Evans’ alleged sexual improprieties. However, questions remain about the university’s culpability in “passing the trash.”
Athletic director Bryan Blair referred interview requests to UT President Gregory Postel, who declined to comment through a spokesperson.
“As managers of any unit on campus, it is imperative to report any improper behavior to those offices that would investigate such allegations,” former Toledo athletic director Mike O’Brien told The Blade. “We are trained to do just that. In this particular case, the alleged misconduct pertaining to Brad Evans was immediately reported to Human Resources.”
O’Brien inherited Evans from AD Pete Lisk.
The final 13 pages of the report are entirely redacted. Nine witnesses were interviewed, including Evans, Andrews, former UT assistant coaches Vicki Traven, Seth Taylor, and Bruce Peterson, and former head athletic trainer Gretchen Buskirk.
Three names are redacted.
None of the witnesses indicated that Evans made any sexual comments or sexual advances or inappropriate physical contact toward women while they were team members.
In 2012, Annie Glodden, a former Toledo assistant who accused Evans of sexual harassment, told Andrews about Evans’ behavior. According to the investigation, Andrews claims she told O’Brien in passing about Glodden’s comments but didn’t give him many details.
“We hid nothing,” O’Brien told investigators. “If there are issues, [we] want it taken care of.”
Requests by The Blade to speak with Andrews were denied.
Nagi Naganathan, UT’s interim president at the time, told The Blade that he doesn’t recall being made aware of any details related to the allegations and did not take part in any investigation regarding allegations against Evans. (Naganathan is now the president at the Oregon Institute of Technology, whose faculty held a no-confidence vote on Naganathan in 2021 citing a disregard of university policy, among other complaints. The vote passed with nearly 92 percent approval.)
In the summary of witness statements, Andrews told investigators that 90 percent of the athletic department’s exit questionnaires from players were positive. She said there were two meetings with a player and her parents about Evans’ coaching style. Nothing sexual was ever discussed during those interactions.
Andrews said the styles of some coaches and student-athletes don’t blend and there are always players who quit teams. She never saw anything concerning at games or practices but was not close enough to hear Evans’ interaction with players.
The Complainant, whose name is withheld, said “most of” her teammates wanted to report Evans’ mistreatment, except the seniors because they didn’t want a new coach.
Several statements provide examples of Evans embarrassing players in front of their teammates and trying to create animosity among players, especially sparking tension between freshmen and upperclassmen.
Evans constantly humiliated players and made them cry, even bringing up their parents’ divorces, the Complainant said. He told one player, “I can see your scholarship diminishing with every step you take.”
Taylor came to UT from California Baptist University and said Evans’ language and technique were new to him, but he didn’t see anything that “crossed the line,” although some behavior was “close to the border.” When Taylor was asked if he would allow his daughter to play for Evans, he hesitated before saying that he would want to see a preview first.
Peterson said he vehemently disagreed with Evans’ coaching methods, describing him as manipulative, controlling, arrogant, condescending, divisive, fear-fostering, and creepy.
“He knows where the scabs are and how to pick them,” Peterson told investigators.
Evans denied using intimidating or demeaning behavior and rejected any claims of sexual misconduct or using sexual innuendo.
At the time of his resignation, The Blade reported Evans had “relationships with past co-workers.” He told The Blade that no students were involved. Evans was able to re-enter the sport as a youth soccer coach and educator. In July, he was suspended and barred from U.S. Soccer and the Ohio Soccer Association.
U.S. Soccer suspended Evans’ coaching license in July, barring him from accessing the federation’s learning center, and removing him from all study groups and courses in which he was involved. SafeSport and leadership at the Ohio Soccer Association were made aware of allegations against Evans.
The UT investigation did not find that Evans violated the university’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment and other forms of harassment with regard to the Complainant and other student-athletes, but some of Evans’ conduct toward student-athletes may have violated the university’s Standards of Conduct policy.
The final analysis and recommendations also included a passage that said investigators were concerned about the reluctance of team members to speak with them, explaining that it gave credence to the accusations of intimidation. Upon Evans’ resignation, some team members corroborated the Complainant’s allegation that Evans threatened to physically harm her.
In a lengthy text message exchange included in the documents, the Complaintant is told by a member of the 2015 women’s soccer team that “everyone was bawling when [Evans] told us [he resigned]. They’re devastated he’s gone.” When the Complaintant shares her shock at the reaction, the former teammate says, “They will be pissed if you come back.”
The former teammate goes on to say that it’s because the other players “stuck it out” and the Complainant quit. “I’m not saying it’s right. Don’t take it that way,” the former teammate says.
The Complainant continues to state her case, mentioning Evans’ manipulative behavior and psychological abuse to which the former teammate responds, “Not be a [expletive], but you need to pull your head out of your [expletive]. You showed no loyalty and no commitment to the team or to the program. Girls went through worse than you did and still worked their [butts] off and stayed.”
Eventually, the former teammate tells the Complaintant that after a team meeting, it would be “wise” for her not to return to the team.
In another interview with a redacted name, the person says, “[2014] was a bad season for the team, that combined with Brad’s behavior, [redacted] believes that is why someone now reported this behavior. (Toledo was 7-11-2 in 2014 and finished fifth in the MAC West.)
Evans was the head coach at UT from 2001 to 2015, compiling a record of 138-116-29, winning three regular-season Mid-American Conference championships and four MAC tournament titles. The Rockets played in four NCAA tournaments under Evans, who was named the MAC coach of the year in 2010 and 2011.
The same person described Evans as being “very anxious” when O’Brien once visited practice.
“Brad felt blindsided by Mike showing up, he was very upset. Felt that the girls had ‘went behind his back,’” the person told investigators.
In a section of the report that outlines the alleged sexual misconduct against Evans, UT lists, “These individuals may bring Title IX claims” as a risk.
First Published October 15, 2022, 6:00 p.m.
