UC Davis baseball team suspended, coaches on leave pending misconduct investigation
The UC Davis baseball program has been placed on suspension by the school’s athletic department, according to a statement from the university Wednesday afternoon. The investigation is tied to alleged “misconduct” within the program, the school said, and confirmed in an email sent by UCD athletic director Rocko DeLuca to incoming student-athletes who have signed letters of intent with the Aggies.
The statement sent by University of California, Davis’ news and media relations department read in part, “The safety of students is of utmost importance to UC Davis. The university has learned of allegations of misconduct involving the varsity baseball team. The UC Davis Office of Compliance and Policy is investigating these allegations, and the entire baseball program has been placed on suspension pending the outcome of this review.”
The baseball coaching staff has also been put on administrative leave, according to the release. The statement also said that the review could last into the academic year and that “it is too early to know definitively when team activities, including practice, may start.”
UCD’s fall quarter starts Sept. 22.
DeLuca could not be immediately reached for comment. He wrote in an email to incoming student-athletes, in part that UCD has been “asked to investigate allegations of misconduct with the varsity baseball program, and as a result, I am also placing the baseball program on an interim suspension.” The letter also included, “we understand that receiving this news may be difficult and upsetting” and that the internal review “does not impact your admissions nor your athletic scholarship with UC Davis.”
DeLuca wrote that if any players wanted to leave UCD that he can contact the school’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Katerhine Zedonis to discuss withdrawing from UCD “and/or a release of a National Letter of Intent to start the recruiting process again.”
The letter concluded with, “we are committed to conducting a thorough assessment to determine the best path forward to provide a safe and inclusive experience for all team members. We will keep you informed if there are updates we’re able to share prior to the start of the fall quarter.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 1:43 PM.