Three former University of San Francisco baseball players filed a class-action lawsuit on Friday naming longtime head coach Nino Giarratano, former associate head coach Troy Nakamura, USF and the NCAA.
The lawsuit alleges Giarratano and Nakamura created an “intolerable sexualized environment” in the program. It also claims the school knew about the coaches’ inappropriate conduct and the NCAA was complicit due to inadequate sexual harassment prevention and reporting rules.
The suit was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Giarratano is still with USF, currently in his 24th season with the Dons — though he was officially reprimanded after a human resources investigation. USF announced on Jan. 13 that Nakamura is no longer associated with the program.
The three plaintiffs described to the SF Chronicle a culture of sexually explicit situations and language in addition to verbal abuse on behalf of the coaches.
In one instance, Nakamura allegedly crawled out from the dugout onto the field completely naked while performing a skit. In another, Nakamura is accused of loudly calling a player a “f–ing c—” during a game because he was talking to a teammate instead of watching the game. Nakamura also allegedly flipped a player over into a handstand position during a pre-practice skit and pretended to eat spaghetti out of his crotch.
Giarratano, meanwhile, allegedly told a player who was struggling while returning from an injury that “I wish more than anything I could hit you in the middle of the forehead as hard as I can with a bat.” The head coach allegedly turned a blind eye to Nakamura’s inappropriate behavior and fostered an environment of bullying.
The 113-page lawsuit says the coaches’ actions led several players to transfer out of the USF baseball program. Tyler Imbach, an athlete who left after one semester, shared his experience on Instagram last September for National Suicide Prevention Month.
Imbach told the Chronicle that his mental health suffered greatly during his time in the USF baseball program.
“The USF thing definitely compounded my mental health issues,” Imbach told the Chronicle. “USF was a rough experience, just the way I was treated by the coaching staff. It kind of sent me over the edge.”
If you are a victim of sexual harassment or assault or know someone who is, RAINN can help. To speak with someone who is trained to help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.