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A newly disclosed memo reveals that former San José State University president Mary Papazian was warned that athletic trainer Scott Shaw was sexually abusing students, yet she did nothing to stop it, The Mercury News reported.
When Papazian took over as president in 2016, outgoing interim president Sue Martin emailed her a four-and-a-half page memo about athletics that read in part, “some of the improprieties would make national news—there was inappropriate handling, touching of female athletes by the director of sports medicine, who is still here!”
Shaw retired in August 2020 following a Title IX investigation that found that San José State had failed for over a decade to respond to reports that he was sexually abusing female athletes. The university has so far paid at least $4.9 million to the victims.
Papazian stepped down in December.
Martin’s recently released memo outlines an alarming litany of allegations about San José State’s athletics department, including that then deputy athletic director Marie Tuite ruled by “a process of intimidation” and that many coaches didn’t speak up “for fear of losing their job.”
Rather than confront or remove Tuite, however, Papazian promoted her to athletic director seven months later, The Mercury News reported.
Martin crafted the memo from notes she took during her final days in office, when four women stopped by separately to register their complaints and concerns about the athletics department.
“Talked about Trainer Scott who was touching swimmers inappropriately including fondling a breast and Marie agreed not to have Scott involved with [the swim] team—but he was not removed,” Martin wrote about one visitor.
At the end of her memo to Papazian, Martin wrote, “I assured these individuals I would share this information with President Mary Papazian and that although I did not know what process would be taken to review these I knew there would be follow-up.”
