Report: Cal coach aware of problems with assistant
California head coach Cuonzo Martin was aware of problems with his assistant coach Yann Hufnagel two months before the sexual harassment allegations against Hufnagel were brought to university attention, according to emails obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hufnagel was fired on Monday after an investigation concluded he had violated university sexual harassment policies in his interaction with a female reporter who covered the Cal basketball team. In a report released Tuesday, Hufnagel admitted to propositioning the reporter for sex and attempting to “trick” her to go home with him.
The reporter brought the accusations against Hufnagel after she was fired by her employer for being unable to complete her job because of Hufnagel’s lack of cooperation.
The emails show the reporter had first contacted Martin in May, two months before her formal complaint was filed in July. She requested to continue their discussion of the matter in July, to which Martin responded that he had addressed the problem.
“Thank you for the follow up,” Martin wrote. “I addressed this when you original contacted me. Is there still an issue?”
Cal athletic director Mike Williams said in a statement released Tuesday that the university will carry out a review of Martin’s role in the situation.
“To dispel any doubts about Coach Martin’s role, the university will be initiating a review of all of the documents and communications related to his actions,” Williams said. “We firmly believe the results will support our confidence in Coach Martin.”
- Erin Flynn
