Cal student accuses football players, coaches of sexual harassment
A Cal student is accusing multiple members of the Golden Bears’ football program, including players and coaches, of sexual harassment.
The student, Paige Cornelius, worked with the sports medicine program in Cal’s athletic department. In a Facebook post, she detailed multiple instances of harassment she says she experienced while working for the football program.
“I am medically withdrawn from school, seeking intensive therapy and psychiatry for the post traumatic stress syndrome and anxiety that happened from the time I spent working for the Cal football team,” she wrote.
As a result of the accusations, the school’s athletic department says it has forwarded the allegations to UC-Berkeley’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
"We are aware of the very disturbing public allegations made on social media,” the athletic department said in a statement. “These allegations go against the very core of our values. Cal Athletics is and will always be committed to fostering a culture where everyone feels safe, welcome and respected. All of those associated with the department are expected to maintain ethical standards at all times.”
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Accuser: Harassment began ‘hours after’ first practice
In her Facebook post, Cornelius said the harassment began after her first day working at Cal football practice.
“Maybe because I am a new face in the sports medicine squad, but maybe for other reasons, I was being stared at up and down, by coaches and players alike. Hours after practice my Instagram begins to blow up, DM’s with creepy messages, asking me to come over, inviting me to parties,” she wrote.
“I’m in college this is normal, or what has been normalized, and I expected to get this from the players. What I did not expect was the ruthless, endless, and persistent sex harassment from the coaches. Practices are cold in the morning, so I was wearing black leggings. I turn around and three coaches are in a huddle staring at my butt. I did not know what to do, I was so embarrassed.”
From there, the harassment continued, she said. Cornelius said one coach — who she says is “still employed by Cal football” — once followed her home and told her she would “look amazing in a bikini.” Another coach, “cornered” her at practice and told her that if she did not have sex with him he would get her fired. That coach, who Cornelius said was a frequent harasser, “was a volunteer assistant who is no longer with the program,” according to ESPN. Additionally, she said that players often made “lewd remarks” toward her.
‘I am not OK’
Cornelius told ESPN that she reached out to Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton, head coach Justin Wilcox and others but never received a response.
In her Facebook post, she says the harassment led her to leave the sports medicine staff.
“I am not OK, I had to leave Berkeley,” she wrote. “I am still learning to build back my confidence, but have lost months worth of salary from having to quit, plus the therapists and psychiatrists are costing up to $600 an hour. I am now behind a semester in college, so will have to graduate late.
“But your mental and physical health do not matter when a revenue sport is involved.”
Cal is investigating
In its statement, Cal athletics said it does not have “its own specific conduct process” and does not “investigate allegations or cases on its own.” That is why the matter was forwarded to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, which is “responsible for investigating such assertions,” the statement said. The school said it cannot address specific cases.
“While we can discuss our process for handling these matters, we generally cannot address any specific case,” the statement read. “Allegations of sexual violence and sexual harassment by campus employees are confidential unless officials determine policy is violated, and disciplinary action has been decided. Such allegations against students remain private regardless of the outcome, under UC policy and federal law regarding student records.”
The school said “prevention and response efforts” have “increased” in recent years, including mandated sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention training for all staff and students. Additionally, the athletic department “sponsors supplementary formal training for coaches, staff and student-athletes in sexual violence awareness and prevention, bystander intervention, and campus reporting procedures."
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