Ex-CSUB AD Kyle Conder Files Whistleblower Lawsuit, Alleges University Mishandled Softball Investigation

The fallout from an internal softball investigation at California State University at Bakersfield continued on Tuesday night when former Athletics Director Kyle Conder filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the school and the Board of Trustees.

Conder was employed at CSUB for nearly three years before the school announced his abrupt exit in September, days after assistant men's basketball coach Kevin Mays was arrested for alleged human trafficking and drug possession.

The lawsuit, filed by the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County, alleges multiple claims, including retaliation in violation of California Labor Code § 1102.5 for whistleblower protection and retaliation under Labor Code § 6310 for reporting safety violations. It also asserts defamation claims, denial of procedural due process, breach of contract, and claims of promissory estoppel.

The filing comes nearly three weeks after two former softball players, identified as V.S. and J.R., filed their own lawsuit claiming sexual harassment, abuse, and assault allegations.

Reporting of the Softball Incident and Related Misconduct

Conder's lawsuit details the softball team incident and how it was handled once he learned of serious allegations involving the program in February 2025.

The drama began to unfold when family members of former CSUB student-athlete Violet Salazar approached him about the unfair treatment she was experiencing to start the 2025 season.

"Specifically, the family complained that Salazar should be in the starting lineup and playing more, and that the reason Salazar was not getting more playing time was because Leticia (Letty) Olivarez, CSUB Head Softball Coach, and other members of the team were jealous of Salazar because she is 'too pretty,' the lawsuit states. "The family threatened to contact local and national media outlets and bring negative attention to the softball team, athletics department, and university if Plaintiff did not address Salazar’s playing time."

Conder provided the family with his contact information and invited them to discuss any other concerns they might have.

Via email communication, the filing claims that Salazar's family made allegations and references to
“physical battery,” “terrorist threats,” “school shootings,” and “criminal mentality.” Conder was also notified that her father had recently been released from prison after serving a decades-long sentence for a violent crime.

"The email communication reiterated that the family was speaking on behalf of Salazar, who was concerned about 'losing her play time,'" the lawsuit adds.

The filing claims several violent threats were made against the CSUB coaching staff. This was captured by a parent at Fresno State when two individuals accessed the bullpen area and threatened to kill (assistant coach) James Davenport. pic.twitter.com/jVGaoOYcjZ
— Maren Angus-Coombs (@Maren_Angus) October 31, 2025

The violent threats against the softball program continued in late February at Fresno State when "two individuals who CSUB later confirmed were associated with Salazar accessed the bullpen area of the softball field and threatened to kill (assistant coach) James Davenport."

The incident was reported to Fresno State Police, in addition to Davenport's workplace violence report that was submitted to the Title IX office.

Davenport detailed in his report that he "had reason to believe that Salazar was allegedly in a relationship with Kevin Mays, a staff member of the CSUB Men’s Basketball program, and that Salazar and Mays may be involved in allegedly illegal activities involving firearms and narcotics."

The former assistant coach provided similar details in an exclusive interview with Softball On SI in September.

Lack of Title IX Coordinator

On March 4, Conder met with CSUB’s Behavioral Assessment Intervention and Response Team (BART), which included Lori Blodorn, Emily Poole-Callahan, Deborah (Debbie) Boschini (Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs), Maricela (Mari) Gonzalez (Chief of Police), Greg Kinder (Police Captain), Jevan Lane (Director of Safety and Risk Management), Catherine (Cathy) Barrad (General Counsel), and Melissa Carleton (an out-of-state consultant that Blodorn had just contracted to address Title IX matters). The initial meeting was for Conder to provide information and receive direction.

On March 7, head softball coach Letty Olivarez and former assistant coach James Davenport were placed on administrative leave, and on March 10, BART informed Conder that he was "no longer allowed to attend BART meetings involving the softball program because campus administrators would be deciding 'which office is taking which allegation.'

An important detail that Conder provided in the lawsuit has to do with the Title IX office. At the time of the allegations, CSUB did not have a Title IX Coordinator.

Conder Advocates for Thorough Investigation

Because of the safety threat, Conder contacted the University’s Police Department and reported the family’s allegations to campus law enforcement in February 2025.

"He also notified appropriate university administrators about the situation, including officials in People and Culture/HR (Blodorn), and Student Affairs/Dean of Students (Poole-Callahan), so that the University could investigate the alleged misconduct," the lawsuit details. "At the time, no Title IX Coordinator was available to receive a report, and Plaintiff believed involving the police was the most effective way to protect the student-athletes from harm."

Following Salazar's public accusations of the softball coaches via TikTok, the university opened an internal investigation and interviewed nearly 24 individuals.

"During this time, multiple student-athletes and parents came forward supporting the coaches and pointing to a deeper issue: they reported concerns that Mays was engaging in illegal activities, and that Salazar (the accuser) was closely involved with Mays," the lawsuit detailed. "For example, one parent reported their daughter had been in a car with Salazar and Mays during drug deals and possible human trafficking attempts."

Because of these reports, Conder suggested that Salazar’s accusations against the softball coaches might have been a smokescreen to distract from Mays’ wrongdoing. He also claims that he acted as a whistleblower, relaying the concerns that a CSUB coach (Mays) might be exploiting a student-athlete and committing crimes.

The investigation continued into May, when the University’s internal investigation had not substantiated Salazar’s claims enough to fire the coaches. Davenport's contract expired on May 31, and Olivarez remains on paid leave. Her contract runs through 2026.

CSUB Fires Conder

After months of not receiving updates from Blodorn or Poole Callahan, Conder was called in to meet with Blodorn and President Vernon B. Harper Jr. on Aug. 18. He was abruptly terminated, effective immediately.

Conder claims that he was not informed of any wrongdoing, and when he asked Blodorn for a reason, she "informed him that the purported reason for his firing was that he should have notified the unmanned Title IX Office of the allegations made by Salazar’s family when they originally approached
him back in February 2025."

According to the filing, Harper and Blodorn feared potential lawsuits from Salazar and Jayleen Reeves, another softball student-athlete because the University had already received and denied a government claim. Conder claims that his firing might've prevented those lawsuits and that the university allegedly dismissed him to avoid further legal action.

Despite being fired on Aug. 18, news about Conder's termination was not made public until Sept. 8, four days after Mays' arrest. The lawsuit states that CSUB was devastated when Mays was arrested and alleges that Salazar was a possible accomplice. However, several people warned the University months before the arrest, and despite those warnings, no action was taken against Mays.

It is important to note that Harper released a statement following a previous report from Softball On SI, stating that Mays was not suspended earlier because the allegations were not substantiated. However, the softball coaches were placed on leave for allegations that were also not substantiated by law enforcement.

Mays was scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 29, 2025.