Lawyers: Blake Anderson to sue Utah State for wrongful termination

Former Utah State head coach Blake Anderson intends to sue his ex-employer for wrongful termination, according to a news release from lawyers representing Anderson.

The suit, to be filed by the law firm Bearnson & Caldwell, alleges Utah State administrators, including athletic director Diana Sabau, led “a public smear campaign” against Anderson before his termination July 19.

Utah State fired Anderson after an internal investigation concluded he violated Title IX policies related to properly reporting sexual misconduct. The school’s investigation suggested Anderson had improperly contacted the girlfriend and roommate of a football player accused of domestic violence in what the school called “a fact-finding mission” rather than allowing its office of equity to investigate the situation.

Anderson told ESPN he did nothing wrong in handling the matter, and his attorneys called Utah State’s explanation for the firing “misinformation.”

“[Utah State administration] including … Athletic Director Diane Sabau have unfortunately chosen to level what is essentially a public smear campaign not only against Coach Anderson and others, but also against USU itself,” according to the statement from Anderson’s lawyers. “The public arena is typically not the preferred place for these types of disputes to be aired, but given the amount of misinformation that has been publicly stated and released by USU, and more particularly Ms. Sabau, Coach Anderson herein states publicly and with certainty that he completely denies having engaged in any wrongdoing, and looks forward to the truth and details underlying that truth being revealed through the appropriate process — in a court of law before a selected jury of his peers.”

In a statement released Wednesday, a Utah State spokesperson said, “The university stands firm in its employment actions, and we are focused on building a respectful, transparent and reporting culture in the USU community.”

Utah State commissioned the investigation into Anderson in the summer of 2023 and, as a result of its findings, also fired deputy athletic director Jerry Bovee and director of player development Austin Albrecht.

Anderson had previously worked with attorney Tom Mars, who had released a 70-page response to the school’s allegation July 20.

Anderson was set to enter his fourth season with Utah State, having led the team to an 11-3 record in 2021 and a bowl appearance in 2023.

He previously served as head coach at Arkansas State for seven seasons, including six bowl appearances.