The couple knew each other for three years prior to dating and Bodeau said he had never seen her in such a state. "I thought I'd take this to my grave," she says. It would have been easier to be quiet, she says. I called my sister and explained everything that had happened, I told her what went down and everything and I told her I didnt know what to do, she said. OEO Executive Director Kimberly Anderson confirmed that an investigation only happens if a person wants actions to be taken or if the acts in question are egregious enough to warrant further potential discipline. Chances are you or someone you love has experienced what its like to be a caregiver while juggling lifes bills and responsibilities. After a six-year professional career and several coaching stops, including a stint at Idaho,. The Evergreen published a story last Thursday outlining a number of allegations of sexual misconduct by Gesser as far back as 2014 that were discovered through hundreds of pages of public records. Bodeau, who says she was never called as part of WSU's original Gesser investigation, questions whether WSU truly wanted to find out the truth, or if investigators instead were going through the motions in an effort to clear Gesser. She also said the OEO only deals with EP 15 complaints and they dont get to make disciplinary decisions, they only pass along their findings to the appropriate departments, such as HRS, to handle disciplinary actions against those found guilty. When Gesser invited her to the CAF event, Wold said she was excited to attend and catch up with athletics staff, as she was very supportive of athletics as an alumna. Jason Gesser has been a stay-at-home dad this NFL season, but the former Washington State quarterback hopes his football fortunes are about to improve. Gesser, who led the Cougars to the 2003 Rose Bowl and conference co-championship, is often referred to as a "celebrity" at donor events in an apparent attempt to draw more attendees, according to the records. The original allegations were reported Thursday by the WSU student newspaper The Daily Evergreen. (None were related to Gesser, she says.). The donor complained to him that the woman had been invited up for Gessers personal reasons instead of the interests of the donors or WSU, Ganders said in the records. The more I kept telling him, No and Stop the more he kept telling me how much he liked me.. The message said something to the effect of dont be a stranger, Wold said. Jason Gesser was really nice. I truly never meant to cause you harm.. When she read those allegations in the newspaper two weeks ago, she realized she was not alone. She expected internet commenters to attack her character, for friends and family to defend it. I can say confidently suggestive.. That includes Uri Farkas, director of the Cougar Athletic Fund, and Gil Picciotto, executive associate vice president for the WSU Foundation. When we got back to the hotel he put his hand on my leg again, and said this is OK, were OK, nothing happened. It made me feel so awful and so disgusting and like I had done something wrong., Before exiting her car, Wold said Gesser kissed her on the cheek, which she didnt see coming. Im not sure why that would be a problem., OEO also interviewed a former athletics department employee who has since left WSU, who told investigators Gesser made comments and advances on her but noted she never felt harassed or assaulted.. Gesser and his wife, former WSU volleyball player Kali Surplus, and their 17-month-old daughter, Jordyn, have stayed in Tennessee but a move to the Tacoma area is planned for mid-January. Jason Gesser was born on 31 May, 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Jason Gesser, pictured here at a Cougar Athletic Fund event in 2015, was the subject of an Office for Equal Opportunity inquiry in January 2018 regarding complaints of sexual misconduct. "Institutions have a responsibility to protect their employees, to protect those who are under them from these things happening to these girls," she says. On May 5, 2005, Gesser was signed by the Calgary Stampeders. The department can reach out to those outside of WSU if there is reason to believe they have important information, Anderson said. Gesser is the grandson of Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame member Joseph "Red" Dunn. Kali has landed a sales job with a pharmaceutical company. I just referred to it as an HR issue, Almond said in the records. You have to have full commitment from the family as Leach did when he asked his wife if she would rather have him happy and poor, coaching, or miserable and money, law. Ganders said in the interview the woman in question was supposed to be auctioned off as a caddy for donors the next day, but she never fulfilled her duties for the tournament. [Gessers] reputation with WSU is tattered, regardless of what you find, Farkas said in the records. Gesser was hired as the quarterbacks coach at Wyoming in February 2013, under fourth-year head coach Dave Christensen. She was an intern for Cougar athletics and [was] directly reporting to Jason, Farkas said in the notes. Another woman wanting to be heard, but searching for her voice. Generally speaking, yeah, the president of a university has the authority to do a lot of stuff, he said. Is WSU athletics paying for Jasons side pieces to travel with him to events? Farkas told investigators a donor asked him. I was told that Schulz had already been made aware of discretions about Jason Gesser by his cabinet prior to our meeting. Almond said he did not refer to Gesser by name in the meeting because they were in public and he had been informed that Schulz would know who he was talking about. The story caught him off-guard, Bodeau said, and he didnt know how she was able to keep the shocking events of that night a secret. Uri Farkas, a former athletics administrator who was heavily questioned by the OEO, said people were mad Gesser had seemingly escaped any recourse for his alleged indiscretions. Just a few blocks from her apartment, Bodeau said, Gesser placed his hand on her leg. Phil Weiler, vice president of marketing and communications for WSU, said he would speak on behalf of Schulz for the story. In August, IMG and WSU announced that Gesser would not resume his role as a radio analyst for WSU football games to allow him to focus on his role with the CAF. It was like he just disregarded it all.. Jason Gesser's Biography He has a wife and three kids at home. The intern said she knew the complaint focused on Gesser before the interviewers mentioned his name, according to the records. At least one intern spoke with OEO investigators about her time at WSU, but it was unclear if it was the same intern who allegedly had a sexual encounter with Gesser. Kali. I definitely felt more support just from those results, Bodeau said of the investigation. Since Bodeau called for other women to come forward, WSU spokesman Phil Weiler says he is not aware of any new complaints of sexual misconduct against any other WSU employee. The Evergreen spoke with the woman in question, whose name has been left out of this article in an attempt to protect her identity and reputation. Gesser was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in April 2003. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. Weiler said Schulz would trust his senior managers and supervisors to make a decision on employee discipline in their department if there was a concern about a particular individual and that he would not want to override anyones decision. I just said, No, she said. It's Tuesday, a day after coming forward to say that former Washington State University quarterback Jason Gesser groped her and tried to kiss her against her will. Once in the driveway, he made an attempt to kiss her which she said she refused. I think our staff is pretty worn down with just dealing with all the rumors and continuing to try to go to bat for him, Ganders told investigators. Copyright 2023, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy, Former Washington State quarterback, and current athletic department employee, Jason Gesser has issued a statement denying that he has had any inappropriate sexual relations with interns or staff, and wrote that he will not allow his name to be unfairly smeared. |, Washington State University officials announced Thursday that they found no violation of University policy regarding an investigation into alleged inappropriate sexual conduct by former quarterback, and current athletic staff member, Jason Gesser. The earliest OEO interview notes obtained as part of the records request are dated in early January. That kind of wrecked me right there. She played her junior season in 2012, but chose to sit out her senior year because of an injury. Wold said she moved to the Olympia area following her time at WSU after receiving an offer for a volleyball coaching position at St. Martins University in Lacey, Washington. The guy is a master . She went on to describe how he kept attempting to kiss her after she repeatedly said no. I had to cover my mouth with my hand and he kept pulling me in so close and was kissing my hand that was over my mouth, and he kept pulling me closer.. But the overwhelming support of those close to her has helped heal properly, she says. I wanted to protect (Gessers wife), Bodeau said. I started to get really scared because he was not listening. The event was really great. Sept. 17, 2018 He just kept saying that over and over and I was so confused and terrified about the situation, Wold said. "There's more," she whispers to her husband. However, Gesser later learned of Almond going to HR and confronted him. Following allegations from multiple women of sexual misconduct, Gesser resigned from WSU in September 2018. I thought I was the only one that this happened to. Editors note: The Evergreen has decided against posting the public records online to protect the women involved whose names were not redacted. One of the fall highlights for Gesser was going to a sports bar to watch the Cougars beat the Huskies, 28-25, in the Apple Cup, halting the streak of six consecutive Washington wins in the series. Jason Gesser has resigned as assistant AD at Washington State following new allegations of sexual misconduct against him by a former WSU volleyball player. He filled the open position left by his successor at Eastside Catholic, Jeremy Thielbar, a former Cougar teammate. Multiple advances made on both student interns and coworkers, including allegations of sexual relations and attempting to kiss a co-worker after having dinner with a donor, as recently as 2017. Wold said she then received a text message from Gesser about the night before. The next morning, Wold said she called her sister to talk about what had happened with Gesser the night before. She leaves her last TV interview and scrolls through her Facebook messages hundreds of them. During his career, he appeared in 40 games, made 35 starts, led the Pac-10 in passing yards as junior, was the first Cougar to throw for 3,000 yards twice and led WSU to a 2001 Sun Bowl victory and to the 2003 Rose Bowl. It was the other women's pain. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. A story last week in the WSU student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, uncovered a litany of allegations. When she was received the text, she was at her now-husbands house in Spokane and said the two had only been dating for a couple of weeks at the time. When asked for her thoughts about this, Bodeau struggles to find the words. He asked, Why? I said, Because you are a married man and you have a family.. Jason Gesser is an entrepreneur and the founder of Grit Consulting, a business consultancy that provides strategic tools to help support companies' organic growth. Seton Catholic has named Kali Gesser wife of former Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser as its new head volleyball coach, athletic director Phil Kent announced Tuesday. He never wanted a full time job so he went towards the . The same woman in question also told investigators Gesser held a higher role than her in the department and had sent her suggestive texts, including during work hours. Alyssa Bodeau's phone won't stop buzzing. Former WSU QB Jason Gesser is accused of sexual misconduct. For Bodeau, however, it doesn't end there. Youre interested in them in a romantic way, so it would be on the basis of sex.. I hadnt seen the kids in a very long time. He then addressed "the young woman that I made feel uncomfortable," saying, "I truly never meant to cause you harm," though he did not admit to any allegations. Gesser, a late camp cut by the Tennessee . He . I even told him because youre married and you have kids, kids that I love, she said. Farkas said in his interview with OEO that Schulz received information about the situation on Dec. 1, 2017, according to the records. ", If nothing develops, he said, "then I'll probably go into coaching because I want to be a college coach.". Adam Ganders, assistant athletic director of the CAF, said he was worried about student interns and athletes babysitting for Gesser, including one he indicated was babysitting for them at the time of his interview in January. I was very close with their oldest daughter, she still has my signs on her door.. She also said OEO looks at instances of harassment, including social interactions that involve romantic propositions in the workplace. Wilson Criscione is the Inlanders news editor. At least one woman was a student at the time of an alleged sexual encounter, according to the records. I explained everything to him and it just brought everything rolling back because for a year I had suppressed it so hard to try to forget it.. She then picked him up to give him a ride which she said is when the advances began. What if they don't have the same kind of support system? About the same time, she started caring for the Gessers children, she said, to help out Gessers wife, a former WSU volleyball player who remained active with the team. She also said the text and the events of the night before made her avoid Pullman as a whole to avoid seeing Gesser. EP 15 prohibits discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct and applies to all students, faculty, staff and anyone associated with the university, according to the OEO website. He said that he was afraid that I would say something about everything., Concerns from donors and behavior at fundraisers. WSU President Kirk Schulz and Director of Athletics Pat Chun responded to Bodeaus complaint Monday by announcing in a joint statement that a new allegation of sexual misconduct had been reported. . Wold was a student at the Spokane Community College, taking prerequisite classes as she had been accepted to the WSU-Spokane nutrition program, she said. He seemed very nice.. . She called me and was pretty distraught, I could definitely tell she was emotional, Roberts said. When I saw that it was a pattern, thats when I decided, Im not going to stay quiet. If it doesnt stop now other girls will be in danger.. Gesser recruited the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii for Idaho. This is new information and a different set of events than previously reported, said Kimberly Anderson, executive director of the Office for Equal Opportunity. |. After Bodeau graduated, Gesser, now 39, asked her to attend a fundraiser in Tumwater. The Honolulu native earned First Team All-America honors and finished his Cougar career as a three time All-Pac-10 selection, and a four-time Academic All-Pac-10 honoree. He is also minoring in criminal Dylan Greene is a journalism and media production major from Stanwood. WSU women beat No. Bodeau spoke out after reading about other allegations against Gesser. Bill Moos, my athletic director, was going to be there, she said. I still think its affecting her now, Peterson said. 3 Utah in biggest win in program history, Greyhounds win first game in Yakima; continue state tournament run, Baseball reaches second best start in Brian Green era, Cougar mens golf go toe to toe with the best, Cougars take their chances, win in first round of Pac-12 Tournament. I couldnt see an article with his face in it without wanting to puke, she said. However, Bodeau said she went on to tell him the whole story. Bodeau shared her story on Monday, Sept. 17. One possibility is that an NFL team would sign Gesser, then ship him off to play in Europe this spring. Gesser replaces Shawn McWashington, himself part of the iconic Fab Five receivers from the breakthrough 1997 Rose Bowl team. Washington State University placed former quarterback, and current athletic department employee, Jason Gesser on administrative leave Monday after a former Cougar athlete came forward with new . He was previously the interim head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and recruiting coordinator for the Idaho Vandals of the WAC. I had no one to talk to that night, so I just bawled myself to sleep, Wold said. The former volleyball player said her experiene with Gesser has affected her feelings regarding WSU. Lutheran Community Services 24-hour sexual assault crisis line: 624-7273. 3 quarterback. I want to be involved with the CAF, I want to go to the Gray W because I earned that, and I dont because I dont want to see him, and I just want him stopped.. WSU has. Ganders, a regional director for the CAF at the time, and Gesser attended the event. She asked about him in response to a question of whether she had brought up concerns about a coworker with Almond, her superior at the time. Kali. He is from United States. It was purely one-sided.. I worry about having a student athlete or interns in that position as well. If its a money thing why WSU is keeping him around then shame on them, she said. Hes the one who messed up and she has to suffer for it. In 2006 Gesser signed with the AFL's Utah Blaze. I absolutely felt powerless., He said, Everything is OK. That both confused and terrified me, she said. In 2007, he was offensive coordinator at Parkland's Franklin Pierce High School. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. In the summer of 2013, Wold said she began nannying for the Gessers and did so for about a year and a half. After this, she said Gesser made aggressive attempts to pull her in for a kiss, which she was only able to block by putting her hand over her mouth. "From men.". Gesser answered the Evergreens call, but hung up before we could identify ourselves or ask any questions. "It was hard," said Gesser, who was a Titans backup in 2003. She also said hearing Wold tell her the story made her angry, as she felt she hadnt been able to protect Wold since she was out of town that night. He is the only player in Cougar history to be elected as captain three consecutive years. ". Not saying Jason Gesser should be WSU's head coach at this point in his life, but those numbers are phenomenal. He was the backup at the beginning of the season before replacing the injured Joe Germaine. WSU women beat No. Gesser played college football at Washington State University in Pullman. That's why the Titans signed Doug Johnson, a five-year veteran who had been cut by Jacksonville, to be their No. Wold and Peterson lived together for the rest of the year and Peterson said they havent spoken about it since the day it happened. He is also minoring in criminal Dylan Greene is a journalism and media production major from Stanwood. As Kali Surplus, she played setter on two WSU volleyball teams in 2000 and 01 that reached the NCAA tournament both years. So, how much is Jason Gesser worth at the age of 43 years old? After only one victory in the first eight games, Akey was fired on October 21 and Gesser was promoted to interim head coach. Another alleged incident came in 2014 after a donor event in Pasco, Washington. He aggressively came into his office, accused me of ruining his life, his marriage and his kids lives.. FILE _ Former . In June 2015, Bodeau said she received a text from Jason Gesser inviting her to attend a fundraiser in Tumwater. However, this appears to contradict what occurred in the Gesser case, as others had named women not affiliated with WSU as being involved in the incidents, but those who were not a part of the university at any point do not appear to have been interviewed. Gesser said he plans to continue pursuing his dream of playing professional football "for the next two to three years and see what happens. According to the updated WSU report, he never sat down with investigators to give his side of the story. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. As soon as the door closed behind me, he came closer to me and attempted to kiss me again, she said. Never once did I feel unsafe or have anything at all that would have given me a flag of caution from the way that he acted, Wold said. Wold said the recent revelations about allegations against Gesser made her come forward. Roberts also said Wold told her she didnt want to be involved with the Gesser family going forward. He returned to work at WSU in 2013. Jason John Gesser (born May 31, 1979) is an American college football former coach, former player, and former assistant athletic director at Washington State University. "Oh my gosh, there's more there's another one.". Gesser says his ultimate goal is coaching at the college level, preferably at Washington State. In accordance with standard WSU practice Mr. Gesser was placed on home assignment pending a full investigation into the allegations.. Gesser, who was assistant athletic director at WSU, resigned last week in light of the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. When he finally pulled her onto the couch, she said the unwanted groping began. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. Making the decision to speak out, she can't overemphasize, was "not the easy route." Roberts, Bodeaus younger sister, said shes glad Bodeau is finally talking about the encounter. One of the most diverse banks in the U.S. can be found on the Palouse, How new NIL rules for NCAA sports are finally letting Inland Northwest collegiate stars cash in, Artist Keiko Hara explores a sense of place, literally and figuratively, in a new WSU exhibit, A global manhunt, plus: the county whiffs on federal funding; and WSU students are left in the cold, ANALYSIS: Mayoral challenger Lisa Brown says Spokane is 'stuck in neutral.' Nothing in that year-and-a-half led me to believe that I could not trust him, Bodeau said. But I didnt know he was doing that to other girls.. Wold said he first put a hand on her leg during the drive, but removed it once she looked at him. If Gesser or another university official engages in sexual activity with a student, it would present a problem for WSU, Weiler said. Updated Tue., Sept. 18, 2018 at 8:06 a.m. Former WSU QB Jason Gesser (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review). When something like that happens to you with someone that you trust, youre always going to feel uncomfortable.. Woman told the Evergreen Gesser slid hands up her dress, made aggressive attempts to kiss her. The Evergreen made multiple attempts to reach Matt Almond, general manager at WSU IMG, for comment regarding the reason for Gessers departure, but he never returned calls or emails, other than one from a secretary asking what we wanted to speak about. Generally speaking, yeah, the president of a university has the authority to do a lot of stuff, Schulz said. He said she relayed her encounter with Gesser. That job eventually went to Offensive Coordinator Todd Sturdy. He sent me flirty texts one time and I thought it was weird, the intern said, according to the records. Allegations outlined in the public records include: The Evergreen reached out to Gesser multiple times through various means, including email and numerous phone calls to his office and cell phone, but he did not respond to our attempts. she asks. ". I couldnt pull away, so I put my hand in front of his mouth to try to stop him, she said It didnt stop him. I immediately recognized that Jason and [former player] knew each other, were classmates, Ganders told investigators. I purely want to help prevent this from happening to more girls, Wold said. There was no funny business.. And then he tried again with both hands and slid both hands up my dress and put them on my butt, and I kept pushing him away and telling him no and he kept saying its OK. . She never participated the next day to be that four caddy, Ganders told investigators. The woman confirmed she had her travels and accommodations paid for by WSU and that Gesser had invited her to the event. "She's sad that this is going on and has been going on for so long," he says. It is unclear if it is the same donor that complained to Ganders. I dont have any reservations about going to campus. I am thrilled to join the Seton Catholic family, Gesser said in a press release. "There were just so many girls with their own stories across the nation, and I just felt it, and it was so heavy," she says. I know hes pretty close with the volleyball program and has a friendship with [head] coach [Jen] Greeny and I wonder what that looks like being at their home alone, no supervision.. Alyssa Bodeau, 27, of Spokane says Jason Gesser, a former WSU quarter back and Athletic Department employee, tried to force himself on her after a school fund-raising event in 2015. Associate Director of Athletics Bill Stevens said Gesser and Director of Athletics Patrick Chun would not comment on the story, citing WSUs policy against commenting on personnel matters. He completed 89 of 145 passes for 1,092 yards, 23 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. I remember her being extremely upset about it, Peterson said. She told me she felt guilty, Steven Bodeau said. Almond told investigators he met with Schulz. OEO determined it didnt have enough evidence to conduct an investigation under Executive Policy 15, but referred the matter to Human Resource Services based on information from witnesses that may violate other WSU polices or raise concerns related to employee performance and professionalism. Farkas said in his interview with OEO that Ganders had told him the donor called and was irate because Jason dropped [the former player] off the following morning, according to the records. They were my life when I was in Pullman, she said. It made me avoid Pullman. After this, Wold said Gesser moved to the couch, where he then tried to get Wold to sit with him. We have estimated He also said she told him how excited she was to attend the event, but how the night quickly turned sour. She was concerned as to why Jason had sent her a flirty text message. Ganders also made note that both Gesser and the woman showed up late to the event, according to the records. He was inducted into the Washington State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, and was also ranked 9th of the top 12 greatest Washington State University football players of All-Time by the Pac-12 Networks. She met with investigators from the WSU Office for Equal Opportunity in September after she decided to come forward with her story. I continued to suppress it for three years total for fear of hurting their family, she said. Shortly after, she began to babysit for the family. But then she had the encounter with Gesser in 2015. Alyssa Wold, now Alyssa Bodeau and former WSU volleyball player, claims Jason Gesser groped her and made unwanted attempts to kiss her without her consent. I bleed crimson for my love of Pullman. The university released a statement following that article stating that OEO completed an investigation into the allegations of Gesser and found no violation of WSU policy. Bodeau went home after dropping Gesser off at his hotel. Gesser led WSU to two straight 10 win seasons from 2001-2002, and finished seventh in the 2002 Heisman Trophy race. [An intern] shared a concern with me, Almond said in the records. And having already received messages from dozens of women, she also issued a call to action: "If my story resonates with you, come forward. Hundreds of pages of public records show a number of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Jason Gesser, assistant director of athletics at the Cougar Athletic Fund, dating back as far as 2014. 290. Idaho's head coach Robb Akey was the defensive line coach at WSU during Gesser's playing days for the Cougars. Gesser, a late camp cut by the Tennessee Titans, was stunned when he was released. But, Im excited for that day., According to the findings provided by Bodeau, WSU investigators ruled that Gessers actions met the definition of sexual harassment and non-consensual sexual contact that impacted the Complainant emotionally, created a lack of personal security for her, and created a hostile and offensive environment.. The only thing I could do is support her and tell her, You are the victim here.. He went on to also say a donor had complained and questioned the decision, according to the records. Suspicious actions with and sometimes in front of donor guests. It shook me up pretty bad when I saw it, to the point where I ran to [Bodeau], who was my boyfriend at the time, Wold said. When I was informed in November about the student-athlete, I felt compelled to share with HR, he said in the records. Kali Gesser previously coached at Pullman, leading the Greyhounds to back-to-back 2A state appearances in 2017 and 18.

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