The University of Idaho Office of Civil Rights and Investigations is weighing whether volleyball players at the school should be allowed to opt out of practices with head coach Chris Gonzalez because of players’ mental health concerns and fear for their personal safety in interacting with Gonzalez, the Southern California News Group has learned.
Four Idaho players asked Jackie Wernz, interim director of the university’s OCRI Tuesday night to issue a no contact order that would allow the athletes to opt out of any practice or team function in which Gonzalez would be present without penalty, according to player interviews and emails.
UPDATE: Idaho players can opt out of practice, school says
Players also plan to ask Blaine Eckles, the university’s dean of students, Wednesday morning what the repercussions would be if they did not attend practice or team functions until Gonzalez is placed on leave or a Texas-based law firm hired by the university completes its investigation of the culture within the Vandals volleyball program under Gonzalez, according to an Idaho starter.
“The school has said it doesn’t want anything affecting our school work,” said the starter. “Well this is. We can’t sit down and focus on school for more than five minutes. We’re going to be very direct with (Eckles): we do not feel safe. We cannot go to practice. And they’re going to have to deal with that.”
Wernz told the players Tuesday night that because of the focus and parameters of the investigation the OCRI could not place Gonzalez on leave, but stopped short of saying the university or the athletic department was prohibited from putting Gonzalez on leave. Wernz is a partner at Thompson & Horton, the Texas law firm hired by Idaho to conduct the investigation of Gonzalez.
University officials have been under fire from alumni and prominent financial donors since the Southern California News Group published a 9,000 word report December 30 in which current and former players and university employees detailed an alleged culture of abuse and bullying under Gonzalez.
To date 12 current or former Idaho players, six parents and three university employees maintain that Gonzalez has bullied and physically, verbally and emotionally abused Vandals players, pressured them to play or practice while injured and denied athletes food throughout his two seasons at the Big Sky Conference school. Gonzalez also allegedly pushed or shoved two players to the ground during practices in 2022 and improperly touched athletes, according to player interviews and university documents.
The decision by the Idaho players was made shortly after a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Eckles and Terry Gawlik, the school’s athletic director, in which the players said the administrators failed to outline any steps that would make players feel safe from having any form of personal contact with Gonzalez, according to a Vandals starter.
Eckles and Gawlik, Idaho players said, continued to fail to take their concerns and dozens of abuse allegations against Gonzalez seriously during the meeting.
“It was really disappointing,” middle blocker Emma Patterson said.
“All of us left the meeting very, very aggravated,” the starter said.
Idaho players said they have not received a response from Idaho president C. Scott Green or Gawlik to a formal request 10 players made on January 11 that Gonzalez be placed on leave.
Players in particular were critical of Gawlik’s approach and manner during the Tuesday meeting.
“We are disappointed to learn that some of the players feel they are not heard,” the university said in an email to SCNG Tuesday night. “They have indeed been heard and that is why there is an investigation. The goal of meeting with the team is to provide resources both inside and outside the investigation to support them and help them best communicate their concerns. The investigators are working diligently and have reached out to dozens of people to request interviews. Mitigation efforts have been put in place to allow for practices to commence with supervision from outside Athletics, while the investigation is completed. We encourage all the players to engage in the process of the investigation and with others providing support. We care about them and want to provide them with a thorough investigation and clear action upon its completion.”
Gawlik, who was criticized for attending the NCAA Convention in Phoenix in the midst of the crisis, began Tuesday’s meeting by asking players if any of their residences had been flooded as a result of the recent harsh weather in the Palouse region. Eckles then passed out to players three hand-outs outlining on campus counseling and other resources for the players. Most of the information, if not all, had already been detailed in emails Gawlik and Eckles sent out last week.
While Idaho players have alleged that Gonzalez has repeatedly threatened throughout his two seasons at Idaho take away the scholarships from players he is displeased with, Eckles said such a practice would be unacceptable when an Idaho player raised such a concern during the meeting. Gawlik agreed with Eckles, according to a player attending the meeting.
Idaho players received an email from Beth Ropski, the case manager assigned by the dean of students to the volleyball case, in which Ropski said “I plan to attend all practices where your coach/assistant coaches will be present” starting with Thursday’s practice.
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