Kafoury & McDougal and Shenoa Payne Attorney at Law PC have today filed a lawsuit in Marion County against Western Oregon University on behalf of nine women’s basketball players who were terminated from the team after speaking up about physical and emotional abuse by their head coach, Jessica Peatross, and assistant coach, Dementrus “DJ” Marlow, during the 2023-2024 season.
The physical abuse involved extreme punishment drills, which resulted in vomiting, bloody feet, unwanted weight loss, dehydration, and knee injuries.
The emotional abuse included punishing players for injuries, making disparaging and belittling comments about the players’ bodies, telling them they were worthless, and damaging players’ self-esteem by encouraging players to make destructive and demeaning comments about other players. One player was bullied into abandoning her needed regime of anti-depressant medication. Retaliation included the filing of a false police report against one of the players.
Both Coach Peatross and Coach Marlow inflicted similar abusive behavior on the women’s basketball team at their former school, Salem University.
This lawsuit also alleges that Coach Peatross lied about her professional background and misrepresented her credentials.
When the student-athletes were no longer able to bear the abuse, they filed formal complaints with the Western Oregon University administration, including Randi Lydum, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Malissa Larson, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and President Jesse Peters.
Western Oregon University hired an outside law firm for the ostensible purpose of conducting an investigation. The law firm failed to even interview most of the players. The University then relied upon the findings of the “investigation” to conclude that there was no wrongdoing on behalf of the coaches. The actual findings were never disclosed to the players, their parents, or the public.
“Instead of protecting those of us who complained from this abusive behavior, the University retaliated by kicking those of us who complained of the abuse off the team, and stripping us of our athletic scholarships.” -Ana McClave, one of the plaintiffs.
The University only allowed the two players who did not complain about the abuse to remain on the team. Further, the University terminated the remaining games from the women’s basketball season.
These coaches are still actively coaching at Western Oregon University and have faced no discipline for their abusive behavior.
Plaintiffs are filing claims for Retaliation for the Exercise of their First Amendment Free Speech Rights, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Use of Police with Intent to Harm, Negligence, and Negligent Retention and Supervision. They are seeking economic and noneconomic damages of $28,000,000, and will be seeking additional punitive damages.
This is part of a disturbing and increasing pattern of college coaches using fear, intimidation, and abusive coaching practices against student-athletes. Coaches’ behaviors affect student-athletes’ anxiety, stress levels, burnout, and overall mental health. The nation had a reckoning with the importance of mental health in collegiate sports after five NCAA athletes committed suicide in 2022. The NCAA itself has recognized the importance of student-athletes mental health and noted that intercollegiate programs should be conducted in a manner designed to protect, support and enhance the mental and physical health of student-athletes. Student-athletes make a myriad of sacrifices to play at the collegiate level, but their mental health should not be one of them.
“We hope that this lawsuit will serve to alert coaches and university officials that abuse of student-athletes and retaliation against those who speak out is intolerable. Those that may consider such actions as their prerogative need to know that the careers that they destroy may be their own.” -Gregory Kafoury.
If anyone in the media is interested in talking to players, please contact Jason Kafoury at (503) 224-2647 or jkafoury@kafourymcdougal.com to coordinate interviews.
Read:
Suing players claim abuse by Western Oregon coaches, seek $28M
Western Oregon women’s basketball players allege physical and emotional abuse
9 Western Oregon women’s basketball players sue over alleged abuse by coaches
Former Western Oregon basketball players sue university for $28M, alleging retaliation
Former Western Oregon basketball players claim school ignored abuse in $28M lawsuit
Humiliation, degradation, retaliation: lawsuit against WOU details abuse and negligence