Patraw states her case Thursday
Sexual harassment alleged against Nevada men’s basketball coach
Five months since her termination, Terri Patraw will tell her side of the story in the scheduled final day of a whistle blower hearing Thursday.
Patraw is suing the University of Nevada, Reno, saying she was fired Aug. 28 for reporting NCAA rule violations.
The hearing was supposed to conclude last Wednesday, but Associate Athletic Director Cindy Fox’s testimony lasted two hours longer than expected.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Patraw’s lawyer Jeffrey Dickerson said that Nevada men’s basketball coach sexually harassed Patraw.
Cindy Fox, Mark Fox’s wife, responded to the allegations.
At a 2005 Reno wine tasting event, Patraw and Nevada volleyball coach Devin Scruggs approached Mark and Cindy Fox who were also at the event. Mark Fox told Patraw and Scruggs, “It looks like you’re on a date,” Cindy Fox said.
The basis of Patraw’s complaint stems from the termination.
Fox and Director of Athletics Cary Groth both denied allegations that Patraw was fired for reporting NCAA violations.
Both said they decided the weekend before her eventual termination that Patraw could not “put issues to rest.” Also she compared salaries with other coaches in the department and threatened to resign “10 or more times,” Groth said.
“I feel that Terri had the inability to move on,” Groth said during the hearing. “If it didn’t go her way, she would bring it up again. She failed to follow directions.”
UNR lawyer Charles Hilsabeck brought up examples of Patraw’s behavior issues.
UNR had evidence that Patraw sent a picture of her buttocks to former assistant men’s basketball coach Dedrique Taylor on a university phone. Patraw was wearing a thong in the picture. The picture was provided by Taylor.
Taylor asked police to tell Patraw to stop contacting him after he left for Arizona State because he said Patraw was stalking him. Taylor later apologized for the disruption and took back his accusations.
During his transition to ASU, Groth said that Mark Fox received an email from an anonymous account saying $25,000 would be donated to Taylor if he stayed.
UNR information technicians said they were 99 percent sure the e-mail was sent by Patraw’s university account.
Also in Patraw’s yearly evaluations, Hilsabeck brought up that all had comments about Patraw needs to improve her behavior.
Groth said that Patraw’s behavior began to get worse when Nevada softball coach Michelle Gardner was given a 5-year extension for $72,000 a year. Patraw was making $52,000 per year.
Patraw argued that she should be paid just as much because she had a better winning percentage – the softball team had one winning season in five years under Gardner.
Discussions began for Patraw to receive $62,000 per year and the first available courtesy car, but Groth said Patraw was upset with the terms and it was never offered.
Patraw’s case is based around the reports of NCAA violations against men’s golf coach Rich Merritt.
Merritt was suspended three matches last season for giving a player a frequent flyer airplane ticket to attend an event and daring female players to “huck a loogie,” a court document said, and to eat spit up food.
Players involved had to pay back the amount garnered to a charity of their choice.
Former women’s golf coach Jody Dansie testified that she told Patraw of the allegations and Patraw couldn’t keep them to herself.
Patraw allegedly wrote an anonymous letter to Cindy Fox detailing the alleged violations.
This hearing is only to get her job back. Patraw has a lawsuit against UNR for financial restitution.
If she wins the whistle blower, she will likely drop the civil suit.
Hearing officer Bill Kockenmeister has one month to make a decision and hearing officials say he usually makes decisions in less time than given.
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