Sex scandal: Big Blue Nation ought to demand coach resignation

A 93-page lawsuit alleging University of Kentucky complicity in Jorgensen’s violent acts of rape, sexual harassment, assault, and exploitation of female coaches and swimmers was filed on April 12 against former head swim coach Lars Jorgensen, current UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart, and former swim coach Gary Conelly. On the same day, Mark Pope was named the new head coach of Kentucky Men’s Basketball, casting aside the startling accusations. Journalist John Cheves of the Herald Leader has reported on it, but there hasn’t been much of a public reaction.

All of the accusations have been refuted by Jorgensen, who has accused the “woke” NCAA of singled him out because of his backing for Riley Gaines, a former UK swimmer. According to Cheves, in 2012, Mark Howard, a former colleague and swim coach at the University of Toledo, sent an email to UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart and then-head swim coach Gary Conelly. The email alerted them about Jorgensen’s history of having sex with a student while he was employed by Toledo. It was Howard’s emphasis that female athletes should not be near Jorgensen.

All of the accusations have been refuted by Jorgensen, who has accused the “woke” NCAA of singled him out because of his backing for Riley Gaines, a former UK swimmer. According to Cheves, in 2012, Mark Howard, a former colleague and swim coach at the University of Toledo, sent an email to UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart and then-head swim coach Gary Conelly. The email alerted them about Jorgensen’s history of having sex with a student while he was employed by Toledo. It was Howard’s emphasis that female athletes should not be near Jorgensen.

Conelly made direct contact with the former Toledo student when Barnhart failed to reply to the email. She said that the connection was consensual and that coaches occasionally date their athletes, he alleged. The issue was abandoned. When Conelly decided to retire in 2013 and Jorgensen was set to take over as head coach of the UK swim team, Howard reached out to the UK once more with his worries, but this time it was ignored.

Regarding Jorgensen’s actions, University of Kentucky was approached once more in 2019. This time, it was by a San Jose State official who had been informed that Jorgensen had molested a female employee of the Kentucky swim team. The victim refused to talk with a school official, thus the Title IX complaint was closed one week after it was filed. No additional research was conducted.

If UK basketball or football had the same cultural capital as swimming, we wouldn’t be able to stop discussing these claims. The fact that popular radio show KSR featured Mitch Barnhart on their program on April 12 without mentioning the allegations serves as evidence. However, this story has been overshadowed by rumors about Mark Pope’s potential assistant coaches, potential transfers, who he will fire, and what would become of former UK coach John Calipari.

By employing Jorgensen, we can be both appalled by Barnhart and Conelly’s egregious irresponsibility and basketball enthusiasts. It is crucial that we, as supporters of Kentucky, exert pressure on the university to be transparent in order to guarantee that student athletes will always feel safe attending. The BBN opposes drawing comparisons between the United Kingdom and Larry Nassar or Michigan State. We must expect much more than just a PR statement, and we must demand Mitch Barnhart’s immediate departure from his position as athletic director of Kentucky. In order to support the victims and demand action, we must stand with them.

Since 1992, Katie Kerns and her husband and their three children have made Lexington their home.