Ex-Nebraska basketball star sues university over sex scandal and claims coach groomed her into relationship – before she was kicked off the team when other players used a secret camera to out their secret romance

A former Nebraska women’s basketball player is suing the university over a sex scandal involving her and an assistant coach that was eventually exposed by the rest of the team.

Ashley Scoggin has filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court, alleging that head coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts failed to take appropriate action when her sexual relationship with assistant coach Chuck Love became public knowledge.

The player claims that Love took a special interest in her and that she feared retaliation if she refused to engage in sexual activity with him.

The relationship culminated in a bizarre series of events at a team hotel before a Penn State game in February 2022, when teammates and practice players devised a ruse to confirm and videotape Scoggin’s presence in Love’s hotel room.

A male practice player falsely posed as Love to the clerk to obtain a duplicate room key. Two team members confronted Scoggin in Love’s room. They reported their findings and showed the video to head coach Williams.

Scoggin’s lawsuit was filed Sunday and names the university’s Board of Regents and Love as defendants in addition to Williams and Alberts. Scoggin is seeking a jury trial in Lincoln and unspecified damages for the alleged violation of her civil rights.

“It is a deeply disturbing and serious issue of predatory coaches pursuing sexual relationships with student-athletes,” Scoggins’ attorney Maren Chaloupka said Monday. “There is a huge power imbalance between the professional coach and the student-athletes. This was something that was common knowledge in 2022.

“Certainly, Division I universities operating at the highest levels are well aware of the harm that comes from these types of predatory situations, and there is a strong responsibility on the university and on the coaches to prevent this, and heavens forbid this to happen. happen, can be handled correctly.’

University spokesperson Melissa Lee said the school was notified of the lawsuit on Monday.

“While the university does not comment on the details of the pending litigation, it disagrees with the allegations in the complaint and intends to vigorously defend this matter,” Lee said in a statement.

Williams declined to comment. Alberts and Love did not respond to text messages and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Scoggin played two seasons for the Cornhuskers. She was dismissed from the team on the same day Love was suspended with pay in February 2022. Love resigned three months later. Scoggin now plays at UNLV.

Williams and Alberts are accused of failing to establish rules, training or policies prohibiting staff members from having sexual relationships with athletes, with the lawsuit alleging the lack of safeguards was “so reckless that misconduct involving sexual misconduct by coaches as of September 2021 was inevitable. ‘

According to the lawsuit:

• Scoggin interned in the athletic department in the summer of 2021 and she expressed interest in becoming a coach one day. Love invited Scoggin to work at a table in his office, and she accepted.

• Love, who was married, asked Scoggin personal questions, including what type of alcohol she preferred, and Love began asking her to go out for drinks with him. Scoggin declined several invitations, but eventually accepted one. A few days later, they met late at night in a Costco parking lot, where Love kissed her and asked, “Have you ever done anything with a coach before?”

• The interaction left Scoggin feeling “confused and trapped” because “it was now undeniable that Love wanted a sexual relationship.” Once the relationship became sexual, Love expected Scoggin to be “available and willing” whenever he wanted to have sex, and he also called her to his hotel room when the team was traveling for away games.

• On the night before a Penn State game in February 2022, teammates and practice players devised a ruse to confirm and videotape Scoggin’s presence in Love’s hotel room. A male practice player falsely posed as Love to the clerk to obtain a duplicate room key. Two team members confronted Scoggin in Love’s room. They reported their findings and showed the video to Williams.

“Williams cast Ashley in the role of a seducer and a liar,” the lawsuit said. ‘She had the players berating and accusing Ashley for hours. She did not inform or advise the players that what they had witnessed could be the result of an abuse of power by her fellow head coach.”

Upon returning to Lincoln, Scoggin was not informed of her rights under Title IX and during a meeting with Williams and other members of the administration, she was told she was not on the team, the complaint said.

Scoggin’s dismissal and Love’s suspension were reported simultaneously by the media.

“NU, Williams and Alberts were motivated to avoid scandal and embarrassment for the Cornhuskers women’s basketball program rather than being motivated to protect student-athlete Ashley,” the lawsuit said.

‘NOW, Williams and Alberts allowed speculation and perception to grow that Ashley was ‘equally guilty’ or had otherwise done something inappropriate, when they should have sent a clear message that it is always inappropriate for a professional coach to to enter into a sexual relationship with him. a student-athlete.”