by The United States Soccer Federation has confirmed it has suspended Brad Evans’ coaching license following an investigation by The Guardian into alleged sexual misconduct by the former University of Toledo head coach.
US Soccer said Evans was also blocked from the federation’s learning center and removed from any study group or course he was in. Additionally, the federation notified SafeSport and the leadership of the Ohio Soccer Association, where Evans was employed after resigning. of Toledo’s work in 2015.
Related: ‘He Shattered My World’: An Ohio Football Coach, Sexual Misconduct, and the System That Has Protected Him
Evans was informed of all these actions on Wednesday, US Soccer said.
Matthew Hall’s three-month investigation into Evans’ alleged misconduct released Wednesday morning relied on interviews with former players, coaches, University of Toledo staff and families of former students to reveal for the first time the circumstances behind the incident. abrupt departure of the coach from the team. Ohio University, how the school handled reports of his behavior and how he was still allowed to hold prominent positions within the game in the United States.
The Guardian also heard multiple allegations from former players and coaches about sexual assault and harassment by Evans and how they failed to report inappropriate behavior or, if they did, how those reports were sidelined by a system that was supposed to protect them.
Evans served as head coach at Toledo for 13 years before resigning in 2015. Since then, he has re-emerged in leadership roles in youth soccer and education, serving as head of coach education for the Ohio Soccer Association and coaching in the Olympic Development Program in addition to his work as an instructor for US Soccer.
One of the former players and coaches interviewed was Candice Fabry, who recalled a 2007 incident when Evans assaulted her in a restaurant bathroom as she was meeting with the coach, his wife and another member of the coaching staff to accept a coaching role. unpaid assistant coach.
“I remember my back against the wall. I remember his tongue in my mouth. I remember feeling it pushed against my body. I remember his tongue. I remember his hands in my pants and in my underwear. And that’s where he left my body,” Fabry told The Guardian.
Other former Toledo players and coaches said Evans often made comments about her breasts and weight, as well as fostering a culture of drinking on the show.
When Evans resigned as head coach of the Toledo women’s team in 2015, a brief announcement from the school’s athletic director gave no reason for the sudden departure, but a statement from Evans published by a local television station the same day did refer to relationships with multiple coworkers “It was clear that my interactions with those coworkers demonstrated poor judgment on my part and were against university policy, and resigning was in the best interest of everyone involved,” Evans wrote.
Two years after his resignation, Evans accepted multiple roles with the Northern Ohio Youth Soccer Association and its Olympic Development Program and as a US Soccer coaching instructor.
The University of Toledo did not respond to specific questions from The Guardian about the allegations by former players and coaches in this story. In an emailed statement, Adrienne King, the school’s vice president of marketing and communications, wrote:
UToledo conducted an investigation following a report by a student athlete in January 2015 of verbal harassment by Brad Evans, who was the head coach of the women’s soccer team at the time. The investigation found that Mr. Evans’ conduct toward student-athletes may have violated the University’s Standards of Conduct policy, however, the case was not referred for possible disciplinary action because at the conclusion of the investigation in March 2015 , Mr. Evans had already resigned from his position effective February 23, 2015.
On Wednesday, Fabry shared the article, tweeting: “I was groomed, humiliated, manipulated and sexually assaulted. He wasn’t the only one.”
A second installment of the Guardian’s two-part investigation will be published on Thursday.
In 2015 I was asked to answer questions about my relationships with some former co-workers. It was clear that my interactions with those co-workers demonstrated poor judgment on my part and were against university policy, and resigning was in the best interest of everyone involved.
With the help of counseling, I have learned a lot about the causes of my behavior. I am very lucky to have the support of my wife in this process. Together, I continue to learn how to become a better person.
I am deeply sorry for disappointing so many people, but I keep working to make a positive future.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide my perspective.
