TV Station Reports Problems in Cal's Women's Soccer Program
Allegations of abuse in Cal's women's soccer program were part of a Sunday report by KTVU FOX 2 television.
The story with the headline "Surviving the Game: Allegations of abuse in Cal's soccer program" appears on the KTVU website, and a television program on the subject was aired Sunday evening.
The report was based on a year-long investigation into the Golden Bears' women's soccer program, and former players broke their silence regarding allegations of emotional abuse and mistreatment by the coach.
Here is an excerpt from the report on the KTVU website:
But dreams turned into nightmares for multiple women who scored one of the coveted spots on Cal's soccer team, when they began playing for the school's long-time coach Neil McGuire.
McGuire has been Cal's head coach since 2007 and, according to the school, has lead (sic) the team to 12 NCAA appearances.
His bio on the school's website boasts the names of several well-known players he coached, including professional soccer player Alex Morgan, who is one of the most decorated athletes in Cal's history.
But the players who came to KTVU had a different story to tell. A story about life off the field, in the locker room, at practice, and in what became every aspect of their college careers.
They wanted to talk about their coach and what they called emotional abuse, fat-shaming, bullying, intimidation, and mistreatment. They wanted to talk about Cal’s response when they went to the university's administration for help. And they wanted to talk about what they say is an unspoken problem behind the scenes.
During the television report, former Cal players said they took their complaints to the athletic department but got no adequate response.
Cal responded to the story with this statement:
Cal Athletics is regrettably unable to respond to allegations that involve personnel issues, privacy rights, student conduct issues, and/or pending litigation, regardless of whether or not the allegations are accurate. We wish that were not the case given how seriously we take claims of this sort.
There is nothing more important to us than the health and well-being of our student-athletes. Cal Athletics has a primary objective to support and grow the overall student-athlete experience – academically, athletically and developmentally – and it is a responsibility that extends through our coaches, staff, student-athletes and the entire university.
We have in place best-practice policies and protocols that enable Cal Athletics to respond quickly and comprehensively when there are allegations of misconduct and/or behavior by coaches that is inconsistent with our values and/or relevant rules and policies. When issues arise, student-athletes have avenues both within and outside the department to seek support.
Our women’s soccer program is a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament, has consistently produced team GPAs above 3.2 for the past 10 years and recently won the Newmark Award for having the highest GPA in the department among teams of their size. We also are proud and pleased that this year’s recruiting class was ranked
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport
Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.