Blake Anderson is no longer officially the head football coach at Utah State University.
Anderson, who had been on administrative leave for the past two weeks after receiving notice from the university that his employment would be terminated, was fired by USU on Thursday night, Anderson’s attorney said Tom Mars announced in a social media post.
Utah State confirmed Anderson’s dismissal on Thursday.
“We were disappointed to learn tonight that Utah State University has terminated the employment of head football coach Blake Anderson,” Mars wrote. “Coach Anderson’s legal team believes this decision – as well as USU’s deliberately inflammatory July 2 press release – violates the terms of Coach Anderson’s Employment Agreement and the implied covenant of good faith.”
Mars went on to note that he and his company “will pursue all available legal remedies on his (Anderson’s) behalf.”
Anderson had 14 days to respond after being notified of the State of Utah’s intention to terminate his employment, in accordance with his employment contract, and responded with a 70-page document that was submitted to the USU on Monday.
At that time, Mars noted that “we will not comment or release the response while Coach Anderson is still employed by USU.”
Anderson no longer works at the university, and Mars noted that he (Anderson) will make his own public statement “at the appropriate time.”
In its July 2 news release, Utah State explained its decision to fire Anderson by citing alleged “significant violations of his contractual obligations related to USU employee reporting requirements,” the university said in its July 2 news release. July.
Specifically, the university noted that “these reporting requirements include a prohibition on employees outside of the USU Office of Equity from investigating matters of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence.”
The press release added that Anderson allegedly “failed to manage the team in a manner that reflected USU’s academic values.”
An updated statement released Thursday by the university addressed Anderson’s response to his firing, noting that Anderson “failed to recognize his responsibilities as a USU employee and as a head coach and instead sought to make excuses and unsuccessfully reshape the clear language of USU policies. ”
Said university president Elizabeth Cantwell: “While I recognize that today’s decision has a significant impact, it is the only one that could be made based on the facts. We are committed to moving forward in building a winning Athletics program based on student success and integrity.”
Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will serve as the Aggies’ interim head coach for the upcoming 2024-25 college football season, which begins for USU on Aug. 31 at home against Robert Morris.
With Anderson’s dismissal now official, Utah State football players will have a 30-day window to enter their names into the NCAA transfer portal.
The Aggies have already been remade this year, with more than 50 new players on the roster compared to last season, and now, just 44 days before the season, any USU player can – per NCAA rules – leave the program.
