Former Boston College Coach Steve Addazio's Program Being Investigated For Coronavirus Neglect
Yesterday, bomb shell allegations were leveled at the Colorado State football and former BC head coach Steve Addazio. After 11 cases of COVID19 were found in football players activities were forced to pause, a group of players and staff members made a series of accusations. These included attempting to persuade players not to report, altering trace contact reporting, persuading players to come back before the full 14 days of quarantine, and threatening players with reduced time if they reported symptoms.
The news broke from a report from Coloradoan writer Kevin Lytle, who received these reports from sources who remain anonymous. Also in the report, which mentions other programs including volleyball, reports say that Addazio doesn't often wear a mask at practice.
According to a report in ESPN there are text messages and emails to confirm all of this. They also spoke to players who talked about a toxic environment in the program, one person told the reporter:
"He's not a welcoming guy," said a source who works closely with Addazio. "If a player voiced a concern, he wouldn't be listened to, he wouldn't be considered. The poor players are in a powerless position. Nobody is putting the interest of the players first. This is completely reckless."
After the report came out, various Colorado State players came to Addazio's defense, including former BC player Cam Reddy, and Scott Patchan (brother of former BC lineman Matt Patchan):
Later, on Tuesday evening, both athletic director Joe Parker, and head coach Steve Addazio released statements about the case. Addazio's reads as follows:
"We have developed a comprehensive COVID-19 prevention plan in collaboration with the University's Pandemic Preparedness Team which includes specific, strictly enforced processes and procedures to build and maintain a culture of safety, compliance and responsibility to all members of the football program and the community.
The health and welfare of our student-athletes on the Colorado State football team is our top priority, and I fully support President McConnell's investigation into concerns about whether these protocols were properly followed by everyone involved with our program. We want every student-athlete to have confidence that we are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety, and we will continue working with the training staff, the athletic department and the University to evaluate and implement any additional steps necessary to live up to our high standards."
After the press release, CSU president Joyce McConnell told ESPN that there was going to be an immediate investigation into the athletics program, and that school would protect any football player from retaliation.
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