Former Gophers football coach Tracy Claeys is taking aim at the fairness of the Title IX investigations that are used by universities around the country.
Claeys appeared in an interview on ESPN’s Outside the Lines Thursday – just two days after he was terminated as the Gophers football coach.
“These processes need to be looked at,” said Claeys. “Because of the Title IX law that was passed down just to make sure that there’s fairness for both students.”
He said that’s what the players boycott was about – fairness in the process.
Claeys added that a lot college-bound students don’t realize how the process works. He said if he wants anything to come from this situation, he’s hoping universities specifically explain the process to students.
Ten Gophers football players were suspended for last week’s Holiday Bowl game after a Title IX investigation of an alleged sexual assault that took place at an off campus apartment on Sept. 2. Police also investigated the incident for criminal charges, but prosecutors declined to press charges against any of the players.
During the interview Claeys questioned why a Title IX investigation trumps an all-out police investigation.
“I don’t know if we just want a single office on any campus handling anything that would be like a felony charge that will change a kids life forever,” said Claeys. “Some of the things put on these transcripts when these kids go through these investigations – they have no chance.”
Here is the full interview.
During his press conference on Claeys’ termination Tuesday night, U of M Athletic Director Mark Coyle explained that athletic suspension decisions are different from a prosecutor’s decision to file charges, because there are different standards and different policies.
“For example, we suspend student-athletes for attitude problems. We suspend student-athletes while criminal investigations are ongoing. We suspend student-athletes when University investigators present credible evidence of inappropriate conduct. What happens in a student conduct process is not for me to say. Like the U, and all involved, I simply want a just and fair process.”
