The University of Idaho volleyball preliminary report is about to go through a second round of edits.
The initial report, 42 pages detailing the interviews and findings from a four month investigation into UI volleyball Head Coach Chris Gonzalez, was completed and given to the four complainants and Gonzalez on March 27. After they received the report, all parties involved were given a 10-day window for recourse.
That means that they were able to comment on the report, and the Office for Civil Rights and Investigations could revise and rewrite the report.
The report summarized interviews that found “sufficient evidence” that Gonzalez committed sex-based harassment, retaliated against Idaho players and violated other UI policies, according to a current Idaho player.
The investigation also found that there was “sufficient evidence” that Gonzalez discriminated against players based on national origin and violated three further UI policies, the report said. However, there was insufficient evidence that Gonzalez sexually discriminated against female assistant coaches, the player said.
Idaho volleyball player Emma Patterson said the four complainants did have changes to the initial report. The parties then received the second draft on April 16.
“There were some changes, nothing super significant. There were enough changes that they have to send another draft,” Patterson said.
According to Patterson, the four complainants have given their comments and OCRI is waiting to get comments from Gonzalez before writing the third and final draft. The deadline for recourse was April 30.
“We are anticipating that Gonzalez won’t submit anything until the day of the deadline,” Patterson said.
She said that the last round of edits took “about a week” so she is expecting to get the final report before the end of the semester.
Jodi Walker, Senior Director of Communications for UI, confirmed that there is still not a final report, but it will be given to the four complainants, Gonzalez, Athletic Director Terry Gawlik and President Scott Green.
Patterson said she is still not exactly sure who will be making the decision, saying that communication has been unclear. However, Walker confirmed Tuesday that Scott Green will be deciding if Gonzalez is fired or not. Green will make this decision based on the final OCRI report, as well as a written recommendation from OCRI director Jackie Wernz.
Gonzalez was placed on paid administrative leave on March 27. Since then, assistant coach Romana Redondo Kriskova has been acting as interim head coach. Patterson said that Kriskova has been planning for next season and has been working on recruiting players for the fall.
She confirmed that all 11 players on the spring roster have returned to practice since Gonzalez was placed on leave. However, Patterson said that some of the players that had initially opted out were nervous to return to practice. The nerves stemmed from previous experiences with some of the assistant coaching staff.
“Some people had a lot of apprehension initially interacting with Maria (Logan),” Patterson said. “Just from how she interacted and spoke with us before.”
Patterson said that “no one else” has left the program since the end of the season. However, she expects more players will leave no matter the outcome of the investigation or what Green decides based on the report.
“There are three different levels,” Patterson said. “There are the people that will obviously stay regardless of the report. There are the people that will leave if Gonzalez stays, and there are people that will leave if the university does not do its due diligence in hiring the next coach.”
Currently, the hiring process for head coaches at UI changes from case to case, according to Gawlik. Patterson and others on the team want UI volleyball alumni to be on the hiring committee. She is currently drafting an email to Gawlik and Green requesting that alumni be consulted if Gonzalez is fired and another coach needs to be recruited.
“Our coaching hiring processes vary depending on many factors. We do not have non-staff members on our hiring committee,” Gawlik said in an email to the Argonaut.
Patterson said there are players that will leave the program if Kriskova is made head coach without the consideration of other candidates. She hopes that Kriskova is not directly made head coach instead of the athletics department opening up the position to other competitors.
“We want to be given the same and equal opportunity given to the football team in hiring a new coach,” Patterson said.
She believed that alumni were on the hiring committee for football Head Coach Jason Eck, but Gawlik confirmed that people on these committees are all on the UI Athletics staff.
With the report’s recourse deadline approaching, the players hope a decision regarding Gonzalez will come before the end of the semester.
Joanna Hayes can be reached at [email protected]