A former Cal softball player has sued the University of California and former Bears coach Chelsea Spencer, alleging that Spencer coerced her into a ******* ual relationship and retaliated against her when she tried to end the relationship.
The former player filed the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court last week, filing under the anonymous name Jane Doe to protect her identity. The lawsuit alleges the school did not remove Spencer from her role, even after the inappropriate relationship was raised to higher-ups.
Berkeleyside was the first to report on the lawsuit. The outlet said it got in touch with Spencer via LinkedIn, who initially said she was not aware of the lawsuit and that claims "will be addressed in the appropriate legal processes." Berkeleyside said that Spencer stopped replying and appeared to delete her account once the outlet sent her the complaint and requested a response.
The lawsuit alleges that, after the player came to Berkeley as a transfer in the fall of 2023, Spencer quickly proceeded to talk to the player "outside the ordinary confines of a coach-athlete relationship" once the player arrived on campus for the 2023-24 school year. This included talking about personal details, emotional struggles and romantic attention, according to the lawsuit, with Spencer saying the player was "so beautiful" and "your girlfriend is so lucky." Spencer also sent gifts to the player, both in the form of direct cash and items like AirPods, the lawsuit said. If the player was not responsive to Spencer, the coach would get angry and retaliate against her with negative treatment, the lawsuit alleges - including on the field, where Spencer "reduced or withheld Plaintiff's playing opportunities." But if Spencer was given the attention she sought, then the player got more time on the field.
Once the power dynamic and dependency were established in the player's mind, the lawsuit alleges, Spencer then "escalated the relationship into ******* ual contact." The ******* ual relationship allegedly began on a 2024 road trip and continued for a year, with the lawsuit detailing several instances of ******* ual encounters.
#spencer
The former player filed the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court last week, filing under the anonymous name Jane Doe to protect her identity. The lawsuit alleges the school did not remove Spencer from her role, even after the inappropriate relationship was raised to higher-ups.
Berkeleyside was the first to report on the lawsuit. The outlet said it got in touch with Spencer via LinkedIn, who initially said she was not aware of the lawsuit and that claims "will be addressed in the appropriate legal processes." Berkeleyside said that Spencer stopped replying and appeared to delete her account once the outlet sent her the complaint and requested a response.
The lawsuit alleges that, after the player came to Berkeley as a transfer in the fall of 2023, Spencer quickly proceeded to talk to the player "outside the ordinary confines of a coach-athlete relationship" once the player arrived on campus for the 2023-24 school year. This included talking about personal details, emotional struggles and romantic attention, according to the lawsuit, with Spencer saying the player was "so beautiful" and "your girlfriend is so lucky." Spencer also sent gifts to the player, both in the form of direct cash and items like AirPods, the lawsuit said. If the player was not responsive to Spencer, the coach would get angry and retaliate against her with negative treatment, the lawsuit alleges - including on the field, where Spencer "reduced or withheld Plaintiff's playing opportunities." But if Spencer was given the attention she sought, then the player got more time on the field.
Once the power dynamic and dependency were established in the player's mind, the lawsuit alleges, Spencer then "escalated the relationship into ******* ual contact." The ******* ual relationship allegedly began on a 2024 road trip and continued for a year, with the lawsuit detailing several instances of ******* ual encounters.
#spencer
3 days ago
