No home in Nebraska

A former player for the University of Nebraska women’s basketball team is suing coach Amy Williams and athletic director Trev Alberts, for their lack of prevention and action in response to an alleged sexual relationship between herself and a former assistant coach.

Ashley Scoggin filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska this past weekend. She alleges that Williams, as head coach, did not work to restrict inappropriate relationships between staff and players, and actively worked to cast Ashley as the perpetrator in the entire affair.

In the lawsuit, which was filed Sunday, Scoggin identifies the board of regents of the University of Nebraska, and individuals Amy Williams, Trev Alberts, and Chuck Love as defendants.

Scoggin played for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers for two seasons, where her career three-point percentage ranked seventh (at the time) in Nebraska women’s basketball history.

In February 2022, Scoggins was dismissed from the team, which at the time coincided with the suspension from the team of then associate coach Chuck Love. This suspension was reported by the Associated Press, with the university athletic department saying it was “a personal matter.”

Williams and Alberts are accused of creating a culture that failed to “properly train and control Department of Athletics coaches, including Love.” And that there were no customs or policies in place to stop possible abuse or inappropriate relationships from manifesting within the confines of the basketball program.

Timeline of abuse according to the lawsuit:

According to the lawsuit, Love recruited Ashley to transfer to the Cornhusker women’s basketball team in 2020 on an athletic scholarship.

In the summer of 2021, Scoggins began an internship at the University of Nebraska Department of Athletics. In the first week of the internship, Love approached Ashley, inviting her to do her work in his office, and from then on did most of her work in said office.

Allegedly, during her time working in this office, Love, who was married, asked Ashley a variety of personal questions. The lawsuit states that he “asked her about her long-distance romantic relationship, her dreams and aspirations to work as a coach, what kind of alcohol she liked and other personal matters.

The lawsuit also alleges that Love began messaging Ashley directly through Snapchat. This included contacting her late at night and asking her to meet him for drinks. Ashley did not initially go to meet Love upon the first couple of requests, but according to the lawsuit, finally relented, first meeting Williams in a Costco parking lot, where they talked.

A few days later, Love again invited Ashley to meet him. This time, in the same Costco parking lot, Ashley brought alcohol. There, Love kissed Ashley and asked her, “have you ever done anything with a coach before?”

The lawsuit states that this particular interaction “left Ashley feeling confused and trapped..” because “...it was now undeniable that Love wanted a sexual relationship.”

According to the lawsuit, Love exerted significant influence on the team both as a coach and as a close colleague to head coach Williams. Love had input on which “student-athletes had playing time, which student-athletes were recognized as hard workers and team players, and the like.”

These factors created the perception for Ashley that Love could “make her or break her” in terms of her future as a player on the team and beyond.

From then on, Love expected Ashley to be available for sexual relations whenever he asked. And because he was married and Ashley was a student, they resorted to sexual relations in different University and athletic facilities, as well as “summoning ASHLEY to his hotel room when the team traveled to road games.”

The lawsuit even alleges that Love began to pressure Ashley into participating in a sexual “threesome” with him and another man.

“After she refused, ASHLEY felt like she was given less playing time during games.”

The entire situation came to a head in February 2022, when team members and practice-squad players became suspicious of the two and decided to confirm their suspicions.

According to the lawsuit, during a road game at Penn State, these team members and practice players put their plan into action. The group of individuals conspired to have a male practice player falsely identify himself as Love, in order to gain a duplicate room key.

The lawsuit states that it ended “in two team members confronting Ashley in Love’s room.” The team then reported their findings to Coach Williams.

The following day, Williams called a team meeting before the game. During this hours-long meeting, according to the lawsuit, “Williams’ invited the team members to interrogate both Ashley and Love.” And “With Williams’ encouragement, the team members assailed Ashley, screaming and crying and using profanity.”

Williams informed the group that Ashley's fate was in their hands, and following the interrogation, Williams suspended Ashley from the team and Love with pay.

According to the lawsuit, one of Ashley’s teammates allegedly told Ashley “if you ever say anything, [Love] loses his job,” and that “Love contacted Ashley and urged her to claim that she was mentally ill.”

Following this, Ashley traveled back to Lincoln with the team and the next day was informed by a member of the administration of the Department of Athletics that she could, if she wished, talk with a “resource lady” in the “Resource Department.”

“Ashley was not informed of her rights under Title IX at that time,” the lawsuit states.

That same day Williams, along with other members of the administration of the athletics department, confirmed to Ashley that she was removed from the team.

The lawsuit states “NU, Williams and Alberts were motivated to avoid scandal and embarrassment to the Cornhuskers women’s basketball program instead of being motivated to protect its student-athlete, Ashley.”

“NU’s failure to protect ASHLEY as described above was so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it deprived ASHLEY of access to educational opportunities and/or benefits provided by the school.”