Former Utah State AD sues institution over alleged violations in his termination

A former Utah State University deputy athletic director has recently filed a lawsuit against the college for violating state law and its own policy when he was terminated over the summer.

Jerry Bovee filed the lawsuit in late December, seeking more than $300,000 in damages while requesting a jury trial. He is the second former Utah State athletic department member to file a lawsuit against the university in the last month.

A recent story from the Cache Valley Daily detailed the lawsuit and what transpired prior to Bovee’s termination. Below is an excerpt from the Cache Valley Daily story.

From August to December 2023, Bovee alleges his direct supervisor, USU Athletic Director Diana Sabau, removed a number of job duties and undermined him which led him to believe “she was trying to minimize his role and move him out of his position,” according to the suit.

Bovee complained to Human Resources about his supervisor, Sabau, multiple times between December 2023 to July 2024.

In one alleged instance, Sabau yelled at former Senior Woman Administrator Amy Crosbie and Bovee for hiring an assistant coach without asking for her approval, according to the complaint.

“Sabau’s conduct during this meeting was so abusive that Crosbie began to cry, which Sabau mocked,” the lawsuit states.

Later, Sabau threatened, ”there will be an investigation” and that “changes were coming,” the lawsuit states.

Although Bovee was told by Human Resources that “no policy had been violated” by his or Crosbie’s decision to hire the assistant coach, he says he met the following day to apologize for how things played out and was again told by Sabau, “changes were coming,” court records state.

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Bovee claims he was not given the option to resign in lieu of termination, a provision in USU Policy 311.  After “abusive conduct, mistreatment, insults, and veiled threats to his employment,” and recognizing the tense relationship between him and Sabau, Bovee offered to resign and allow her to hire her own staff, to which Sabau replied, “you will leave when I tell you to leave,” according to the lawsuit.

To read the full story from the Cache Valley Daily about the Utah State lawsuit, click here.