Former Cougar great Jason Gesser ready to call WSU games on the radio It wasn't even her own pain she was feeling. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. I am categorically opposed to harassment or sexism in the workplace or society, and I am deeply committed to my wife and children.. , money, salary, income, and assets. The same woman in question also told investigators Gesser held a higher role than her in the department and had sent her suggestive texts, including during work hours. Former WSU volleyball player claims Jason Gesser groped her, attempted Gesser said he still keeps in touch with coach Mike Price and his two assistant-coach sons, Eric and Aaron, who have had a remarkable 8-3 season at Texas-El Paso. (None of those named above have responded to messages from the Inlander seeking comment.). She met with investigators from the WSU Office for Equal Opportunity in September after she decided to come forward with her story. Another woman with her own experience as a victim of sexual assault or harassment. Weiler said the OEO review did not result in action against Gesser because of a lack of official complaints from those who voiced concerns over the allegations. WSU investigating university official after sexual assault allegations A day later, another woman named Lindsey Streets detailed to the Spokesman-Review how, in 2015, she called police after a sexual encounter with Gesser while she worked as a masseuse. The former volleyball player said her experiene with Gesser has affected her feelings regarding WSU. WSU places Jason Gesser on leave after former nanny files formal Gesser and his wife, former WSU volleyball player Kali Surplus, and their 17-month-old daughter, Jordyn, have stayed in Tennessee but a move to the Tacoma area is planned for mid-January. Up and coming bull rider, Blake Thueson has #diedsuddenly Competing in the 2022 World Finals in Nevada, he started to feel extremely ill and passed away suddenly- shocking his family and the bull riding community. According to the updated WSU report, he never sat down with investigators to give his side of the story. That's why the Titans signed Doug Johnson, a five-year veteran who had been cut by Jacksonville, to be their No. That includes Uri Farkas, director of the Cougar Athletic Fund, and Gil Picciotto, executive associate vice president for the WSU Foundation. I had no one to talk to that night, so I just bawled myself to sleep, Wold said. She expected a media. His wife was my favorite person in the world, and his kids are my favorite people.. Young Seton Catholic plans to build on 1A state basketball loss, Fourth-quarter slump sinks Seton Catholic girls in 1A state opening-round loss, Seton Catholic boys win 1A state opening round, clinch berth for round of 12 in Yakima, State basketball matchups for SW Washington teams, Prep notes: Dennis Herling steps down as football coach at Seton Catholic, Seton Catholic prevails in rematch against La Center to reach 1A state regional. They were my life when I was in Pullman, she said. "He's already a legendary guy here and he can be like Jason Gesser going through his high school career and never losing a game. It is unclear if it is the same donor that complained to Ganders. [An intern] shared a concern with me, Almond said in the records. Gesser said he plans to continue pursuing his dream of playing professional football "for the next two to three years and see what happens. I definitely felt more support just from those results, Bodeau said of the investigation. If there is not a business reason for the university to be paying for that persons expenses, thats against the law, Weiler said. The allegations are outlined in interview notes and records from a complaint review carried out by WSUs Office for Equal Opportunity that began in January, which the Evergreen obtained through a public records request. Frontier Behavioral Health's 24-hour First Call for Help line: 838-4428 or toll free at 1-877-678-4428. Almond said he did not refer to Gesser by name in the meeting because they were in public and he had been informed that Schulz would know who he was talking about. It was a great way to bring her back into the fold, to support CAF and student-athlete scholarships, since she benefited from a scholarship.. She thought turning off her phone and unplugging for an entire day would make things feel back to normal, but that only made it harder, she says. I just referred to it as an HR issue, Almond said in the records. The donor complained to him that the woman had been invited up for Gessers personal reasons instead of the interests of the donors or WSU, Ganders said in the records. At the time, I said, I wanted to let you know about our current HR issues, he told investigators. Her husband said she originally didnt want to tell him the details, telling him she had received an unwanted text message. Is WSU athletics paying for Jasons side pieces to travel with him to events? Farkas told investigators a donor asked him. The couple knew each other for three years prior to dating and Bodeau said he had never seen her in such a state. I was really disappointed that not anything had been done anywhere on campus, Farkas said, according to the records. In his statement issued Friday about the earlier misconduct investigation and subsequent news coverage, Gesser wrote: The only thing I care about more deeply than WSU is my family and integrity. Gesser would not respond to the Evergreens request for comment. Im not sure why that would be a problem., OEO also interviewed a former athletics department employee who has since left WSU, who told investigators Gesser made comments and advances on her but noted she never felt harassed or assaulted.. Almond said in his interviewwith OEO that he felt the need to come forward with his worries to IMG HR after hearing about the alleged relationship with a student-athlete, according to the records. In 2013, Gesser returned to Pullman after six years of professional football and several coaching stops, including a stint at the University of Idaho. She then picked him up to give him a ride which she said is when the advances began. She definitely didnt want me to tell anyone else because she wasnt sure how she was going to deal with it.. I would imagine it was the start of the investigation, Weiler said of when Schulz was informed of the situation. Seton Catholic has named Kali Gesser wife of former Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser as its new head volleyball coach, athletic director Phil Kent announced Tuesday. You know when you aren't playing good. 2,448. Jason Gesser resigns amid new sexual misconduct allegations She told me everything that happened, he said. The Evergreen made multiple attempts to reach Matt Almond, general manager at WSU IMG, for comment regarding the reason for Gessers departure, but he never returned calls or emails, other than one from a secretary asking what we wanted to speak about. ". When she was received the text, she was at her now-husbands house in Spokane and said the two had only been dating for a couple of weeks at the time. Jason Gesser (Hall Of Fame) The one and only Champion!! - Issuu Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Dec 22, 2002 22,072 . She had been asked by Kali Gesser, Jason's wife and part of the Cougar volleyball coaching staff at the time, and ended up taking care of their three kids three times a week, through which she met Jason. The event was really great. Before he went to HR, Almond said he went to Gesser personally as a friend and neighbor to inform Gesser of what he had heard, according to the records. She said Gesser offered to catch her up with how his family was doing and asked her to pick him up from his hotel. I truly never meant to cause you harm.. Since Bodeau called for other women to come forward, WSU spokesman Phil Weiler says he is not aware of any new complaints of sexual misconduct against any other WSU employee.
Jason Gesser resigns from WSU following sexual misconduct allegations She expected a media firestorm. Her husband, Stephen Bodeau, has tried to support her. He went on to also say a donor had complained and questioned the decision, according to the records. For Bodeau, however, it doesn't end there. We typically pay for former student-athletes to attend those events.. "She's sad that this is going on and has been going on for so long," he says. They were suggestive of sexual things, she told investigators. Jason Gesser was really nice. She went on to play at WSU, where she met Gesser's wife, a former volleyball player herself. He started as the football beat reporter in the fall of 2017 and midway through With 39 seconds left and WSU holding a 3-point lead, the Cougars put the ball into the hands of Charlisse Leger-Walker, their best player, perhaps the Luke Tylers parents believe fraternity hazing led to his death, CBD shown to be promising in reducing urge to smoke, Two big Spring Break trips featuring Murrow students; Evergreeners, Unsealed search warrants reveal new details about items found at Kohbergers PA home, Thousands of Pullman residents oppose proposal for biodiesel plant, Campus and community safety town hall to be held in Moscow tonight, RHA votes to approve 2% residence hall increase fee, Broken Promises: Aspen Heights awaited move-in canceled for many disappointed students, DYLAN GREENE, Evergreen deputy sports editor. Alyssa Bodeau, who went by Alyssa Wold during her time at WSU but has since married, told The Daily Evergreen she suffered unwanted and nonconsensual groping and forceful attempts at kissing from Gesser after the two of them attended a Cougar Athletic Fund event in Tumwater, Washington, in 2015. Ganders could not be reached for comment despite numerous attempts via phone by the Evergreen and Stevens said Greeny would also not comment on the matter. She played her junior season in 2012, but chose to sit out her senior year because of an injury. A story last week in the WSU student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, uncovered a litany of allegations. After the event, Ganders said in the records, a group of people including Gesser and the former player went out for drinks, after which the former player elected to get a ride home from Gesser. Mike Marlow, WSU deputy athletic director, accepted another job days after President Schulz was notified of the Gesser allegations. She also said she had heard of these things happening before her employment at WSU. After college, Gesser played professional football for six years and spent time on four separate coaching staffs, including serving as the interim head coach at the University of Idaho for six games, before returning to WSU in 2013. After the incident, she then drove him back to his hotel room, she said. And then he tried again with both hands and slid both hands up my dress and put them on my butt, and I kept pushing him away and telling him no and he kept saying its OK. . WSU responds to report alleging inappropriate sexual conduct by former I hadnt seen the kids in a very long time. She's troubled by reports that WSU football legend Jack Thompson told WSU employees to "fall in line," chiding WSU employees who reported rumors about Gesser that made it to President Schulz. The woman also said she fulfilled her duties on-time as a caddy, but did leave early in order to catch a flight booked for her by the university so she could make it to work the next day. A donor requested permission to bring a former WSU womens basketball player from California who was staying with them to the event, which Ganders said he approved, according to the records. He spent the entire season with the team but did not see any playing time behind Steve McNair, Billy Volek, and Neil O'Donnell. Bodeau, 27, reads each one out loud, feeling the weight of each woman's experience. I worry about having a student athlete or interns in that position as well. About six months after she moved to the west side of the state, she said she received a message from Gesser asking if she would like to attend the South Sound Social in Tumwater on June 17, 2015, a CAF event. What about the institutions, the power structures that let this go on for so long in the first place? Officials ultimately cleared Gesser of any wrongdoing. I worry about situations like that, Ganders said in the records. Youre interested in them in a romantic way, so it would be on the basis of sex.. During his career, he appeared in 40 games, made 35 starts, led the Pac-10 in passing yards as junior, was the first Cougar to throw for 3,000 yards twice and led WSU to a 2001 Sun Bowl victory and to the 2003 Rose Bowl. It is now affecting my every day when I interact with that donor.. I want to be involved with the CAF, I want to go to the Gray W because I earned that, and I dont because I dont want to see him, and I just want him stopped.. However, Gesser later learned of Almond going to HR and confronted him. At least one woman was a student at the time of an alleged sexual encounter, according to the records. The original allegations were reported Thursday by the WSU student newspaper The Daily Evergreen. FINDING A VOICE. 4 "Jason Gesser" profiles | LinkedIn She leaves her last TV interview and scrolls through her Facebook messages hundreds of them. The woman confirmed she had her travels and accommodations paid for by WSU and that Gesser had invited her to the event. "There's more," she whispers to her husband. About the same time, she started caring for the Gessers children, she said, to help out Gessers wife, a former WSU volleyball player who remained active with the team. He is a member of famous with the age 43 years old group. Those reports prompted Gesser's former nanny to go public Monday with what she described . Woman told the Evergreen Gesser slid hands up her dress, made aggressive attempts to kiss her. Gesser was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in April 2003. He was previously the interim head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and recruiting coordinator for the Idaho Vandals of the WAC. He said that he was afraid that I would say something about everything., Concerns from donors and behavior at fundraisers. I was told he would know what I was referring to.. What I had been telling myself for three years was, Just be silent. Gesser coached the Crusaders for two seasons, then left in 2011 to become a graduate assistant at WSU in Pullman. The thing that I remember the most was her telling me about the hand over the mouth and him having her head, Bodeau said. After the event ended, she said she and Gesser went with a group of people, including then-Director of Athletics Bill Moos, to a local bar for drinks and to catch up. I received a text from Jason Gesser that next day, saying that we probably shouldnt tell [his] wife that we saw each other, Wold said. Shortly after, she began to babysit for the family. Jason Gesser, pictured here at a Cougar Athletic Fund event in 2015, was the subject of an Office for Equal Opportunity inquiry in January 2018 regarding complaints of sexual misconduct. Receive News Headlines Right in your Inbox! I knew it was more of a trend than it wasnt, she told investigators. Following allegations from multiple women of sexual misconduct, Gesser resigned from WSU in September 2018. Massage therapist says Jason Gesser exposed himself to her When other girls came forward, it changed the game, said Bodeau, whose maiden name is Wold. Almond told investigators he met with Schulz. In June 2015, Bodeau said she received a text from Jason Gesser inviting her to attend a fundraiser in Tumwater. But I didnt know he was doing that to other girls.. "It's started showing me there's a bigger picture to this," she says. Allegations outlined in the public records include: The Evergreen reached out to Gesser multiple times through various means, including email and numerous phone calls to his office and cell phone, but he did not respond to our attempts. Roberts also said Wold told her she didnt want to be involved with the Gesser family going forward. WSU places former QB Jason Gesser on administrative leave after new