LOGAN, Utah — Accusing Utah State University administrators of leading a smear campaign against Blake Anderson, attorneys for the former head football coach announced they will file a lawsuit against the school.
In a letter Wednesday, the Bearnson & Caldwell, LLC said they will bring the lawsuit in an attempt to clear Anderson's name after he was fired last month, along with others in the athletics program, for what the school claimed were rules violations.
Anderson has yet to speak publicly about the firing.
"...certain members of the current administration, including the newly appointed Athletics Director Diana Sabau, have unfortunately chosen to lead what is essentially a public smear campaign, not only against Coach Anderson and others, but also against USU itself," the letter read.
A school review showed that Anderson failed to comply with school policies that required him to report sexual misconduct, and that he had also violated a policy prohibiting school employees from investigating alleged sexual misconduct on their own.
"Coach Anderson states publicly and with certainty that he completely denies having engaged in any wrongdoing, and looks forward to the truth and details underlying that truth being revealed through the appropriate process — in a court of law before a selected jury of his peers," the law firm said.
The letter goes on to say that Anderson "does not condone any type of abuse whatsoever and has always been the first to step in to prevent those behaviors and enforce accountability when those issues have arisen."
Since the firings of Anderson and other Utah State officials, several current Utah State University student-athletes, as well as former players, have demanded that an independent investigation be conducted. The school did not reply to the request.
It's not known when Anderson's attorneys will file the lawsuit against the school and in which court.
A USU spokesperson gave the following statement to FOX 13 News:
"The university stands firm in its employment actions, and we are focused on building a respectful, transparent and reporting culture in the USU community."
