LOS ANGELES — As his team prepares for Saturday's bowl game in Los Angeles, Utah State head coach Blake Anderson apologized for comments he previously made about sexual assault victims.
In a statement issued Friday, Anderson expressed remorse over telling his players during an August team meeting that it "has never been more glamorized to be a victim" of sexual assault. Anderson made the comments after the team met with local police to discuss issues such as sexual misconduct and consent.
"In the course of that conversation, I used a phrase regarding victims of wrongdoing to magnify that message to our team, but after reading my comments in the transcript that was released, I realize my choice of words was hurtful," Anderson said in the statement. "I regret the words I used, and I apologize to anyone who has bravely come forward with allegations of wrongdoing."
The apology comes a day after Utah State Police Chief Earl Morris resigned following comments he made to Aggies football players, saying that if they have sex, make sure it's consensual — especially if it's with a Latter-day Saint woman.
According to a report by The Salt Lake Tribune, Morris warned the team that LDS women will often tell their bishop that sex was non-consensual because it’s “easier.” They might be “feeling regret,” he continued, for having sex before marriage, which goes against the faith’s teachings of abstinence, so they’ll say it was assault.
Utah State is scheduled to face Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.
