Influential donor Ron Fowler says he is “shocked and disgusted” at details of alleged football hazing at the University of San Diego, saying any staff aware of the practice before it was revealed should be fired and players who led the activities expelled.
Fowler learned specifics of the alleged hazing from a story in the Union-Tribune that outlined a lawsuit filed by former quarter AJ Perez.
What the story chronicled — including the lawsuit’s claims that freshmen and transfers stripped and were forced to press their genitals against a window for upperclassmen to see — only represented the tip of the iceberg in terms of the startling alleged conduct.
“I’m disgusted,” Fowler said. “Absolutely disgusted. If this is true, and I have no reason to believe it isn’t, it’s completely unacceptable.”
Fowler served on the university’s board of directors for nearly 20 years, including six as board chair. He and wife Alexis donated $6.5 million to USD’s entrepreneurial program and funded Fowler Park, the Toreros’ baseball stadium.
He’s connected. He’s invested. He’s beyond angry.
“In my mind, this should include terminations for any coaches who were aware of this behavior,” Fowler said of the allegations. “They should throw the ringleaders (on the team) out of school.”
Asked how the university should proceed once an internal investigation is complete, Fowler did not pause.
“Far more aggressive actions than has happened to date,” said Fowler, the former Chairman of the San Diego Padres who built his wealth in the beer distribution business. “It’s ridiculous. This should include far more aggressive penalties.”
The university has entered the third month of an internal investigation, suspending unnamed players from early-season games.
USD President James T. Harris, in letters to staff, indicated that approximately half the team faced “varying degrees of discipline.” Additional penalties could come under the university’s code of conduct or “consequences stemming from the ongoing San Diego Police Department inquiry.”
When read additional details of the complaint that have not been previously published due to their graphic nature, Fowler expressed astonishment.
“This is hazing squared, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Ron Fowler says some of the allegations laid out in a lawsuit against USD represent “hazing squared.”
(Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune)
You understand Fowler’s growing and grave concern. Hazing allegations at Northwestern University originally started with a slap on the wrist for football coach Pat Fitzgerald. More reporting by the student paper on campus led to Fitzgerald’s dismissal.
Fowler said he’s appalled to see allegations of something similar at USD.
“I’m shocked that this happened,” Fowler said. “It’s not representative of what the school purports to be. This is not something you’d expect from a Christian or Catholic university. It’s so off-base, so off-limits.
“It’s very, very disconcerting.”
Fowler said he planned to call Harris, the school president, to learn more.
“I’ve tried to stay out of it to see what action they would take, but I’m disappointed they haven’t done more than they have,” he said.
Fowler and his wife are two of the most prominent philanthropists in San Diego. Their impact — and his words — travel far and ring loudly.
USD’s silence thus far has frustrated Fowler.
“Normally, you would have gotten a heads up from the president of the university or someone in the upper-leadership ranks,” Fowler said late Thursday. “With something of this nature, I would have thought there would be communication with significant donors.”
Perez, the former player, alleged the hazing culture has existed for years at USD. His lawsuit claims several staffers were aware of the sexualized nature of the practice.
The allegations became public in a Union-Tribune story in August. At the time, the university said it did not believe any students were physically harmed.
Perez said involvement in the activities was framed as mandatory by upperclassmen. He said that when he arrived, there was beer and some teammates were smoking marijuana. Players were asked to perform naked to music front of veterans, he said.
“USD has a zero-tolerance policy on hazing and takes report of inappropriate conduct and violations of the Student Code of Conduct with the utmost seriousness,” the university wrote in an August statement. “Expectations of conduct were clearly articulated to players as part of their preseason onboarding and training.”
On Wednesday afternoon, USD issued a statement in response to a Union-Tribune update: “Our own internal inquiry is currently underway but incomplete. It would be inappropriate to comment pending the conclusion of that inquiry. The university takes reports of violations of the student code of conduct with the utmost seriousness and condemns acts of hazing and bullying of any kind.”
Wednesday night, USD issued a second statement, this one backing first-year coach Brandon Moore. USD said Moore “had no advance knowledge” of any hazing and “it was Coach Moore’s alarm and quick response that prompted the entire investigation.”
Thursday brought a statement from Moore and another from Harris.
“I want to be clear that I had no prior knowledge at any level about these activities before they were reported to me by AJ Perez,” Moore wrote. “This was not anything I’d heard before and certainly doesn’t represent my vision for USD Football.”
In the most recent statement from Harris, he termed the alleged details “reprehensible.” He also supported the university’s football coach, saying “Coach Moore had no advance knowledge of the hazing.”
Fowler remains upset about the alleged incident and the handling of things.
“Totally unacceptable,” he said. “This has no place in a Catholic institution.”
Can you blame him?
