The University of Kentucky fired its entire cheerleading coaching staff over allegations of hazing, public nudity, and alcohol use.
A three-month investigation found four coaches and an administrative assistant failed to “provide reasonable oversight” at a retreat and other off-campus events where cheerleaders drank excessive amounts of alcohol to the point of needing medical treatment and practiced chanting while partially nude.
The university announced on Monday the firing of Jomo Thompson, the head coach, and assistant coaches Spencer Clan, Ben Head, and Kelsey LaCroix.
The investigation, which began in February in response to allegations of misconduct by a cheerleader’s family member, found that at one team retreat, some cheerleaders performed gymnastics routines dubbed “basket tosses” where teammates would hurl others from a dock into the water while either topless or bottomless. The routines were witnessed by at least some of the coaches present.
At a cheerleading camp in Tennessee, investigators said some cheerleaders were encouraged to perform lewd chants and wear outfits without underwear.
The investigation found no evidence or sexual assault or misconduct.
“The advisor and the coaches failed to stop a culture of hazing, alcohol use and public nudity at off-campus activities where they were present,” said Eric Monday, the University of Kentucky’s executive vice president for finance and administration. “Our students deserve more responsible leadership and the University of Kentucky demands it.”
The Courier Journal reported that a number of the university’s cheerleaders took to social media to express support for the coaches involved in the scandal.
Some of the cheerleaders reacted to the news by sending out tweets with the hashtag #JusticeforJomo.
“Hazing is bad,” former University of Kentucky cheerleader Madison Mullen tweeted. “However hazing DID NOT TAKE PLACE. Everyone on the team had a CHOICE. If you did not want to do it, you didn’t have to and should not have done it.”
Riley Aguiar, a senior at the university, stressed that the coaches were not to blame.
“Any choices that we made were completely on our own, and completely separate from the coaching staff,” Aguiar said in a now-deleted tweet. “Jomo (Thompson) is one of the top coaches in the world and it was incredible to have been coached by him for four years.”
