Whistleblower suit filed against SJSU trustees, athletic director
By Joe Dworetzky article
HORIZONTAL - Former Deputy Athletic Director at San Jose State University, Stephen A. O Brien, filed a whistleblower suit against the university and its Athletic Director, Maria Tuite, in Superior Court of Santa Clara County in Santa Clara, Calif. on
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SAN JOSE, Calif. - The whistles blowing at San Jose State University s athletic department are not on the field of play.
Stephen O Brien, formerly deputy director of athletics at SJSU, filed a whistleblower suit on Tuesday against the university and its athletic director, Marie Tuite, alleging that he was fired for opposing Tuite s efforts to retaliate against staff members who raised concerns about the athletic program.
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In 2009, Shaw had been accused of sexually fondling more than a dozen female athletes, and the university investigated and quietly cleared him of all wrongdoing, the suit says. But about eight years later, those athletes and others reported to Sage Hopkins, SJSU’s women’s swimming and diving coach, that Shaw’s abuse was ongoing and that the university’s investigation was faulty.
Hopkins composed a lengthy dossier with his own findings, calling out Athletic Director Marie Tuite’s role in covering up Shaw’s abuse, and SJSU launched a new investigation in 2020, the suit says.
O’Brien alleges that during the new investigation, Tuite directed him to discipline Hopkins without legitimate cause. O’Brien believed the directive was retaliatory against Hopkins and could compromise the investigation, including Tuite’s role in it. O’Brien brought his concerns to SJSU, and nothing was done, the suit says.