Former Nebraska women's basketball player Ashley Scoggin files lawsuit against school

Former Nebraska women’s basketball player Ashley Scoggin filed a lawsuit against the school amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with former assistant coach Chuck Love.

“It arises from a professional coach initiating a sexual relationship with a student-athlete on his team, and from the response of the University of Nebraska and its athletic leadership to the confirmation of that relationship,” the lawsuit read.

Love resigned from his position as associate head coach back in May of 2022 after a three-month suspension. Scoggin departed the team that February and currently plays for UNLV.

Scoggin also named Amy Williams, the current head of Nebraska, in the lawsuit. Not only that, athletic director Trev Alberts is also named.

“Although LOVE was married, LOVE pursued sexual relationships with students,” the lawsuit read.

“Before August 2021, WILLIAMS knew or should have known of LOVE’s pursuit of sexual relationships with students. The community of their coaching staff was tightknit, as was the community of coaching staff and student-athletes.”

Scoggin transferred into the program in 2020 from Salt Lake Community College.

“LOVE recruited ASHLEY to transfer to the Cornhusker women’s basketball team in 2020,” the lawsuit read. “ASHLEY joined the team on an athletic scholarship as a redshirt sophomore guard with a special talent for three-point shooting. Her scholarship included tuition, access to trainers, access to a sports psychologist, medical care, a housing allowance, access to a nutritionist and the “training table” for meals, as well as other benefits.”

Scoggin cited an interest in becoming a coach after her playing days. That’s where she worked with Love one-on-one during an internship with the athletic department.

Amid spending a lot of time with the coach, Scoggin was “groomed” into a “secret sexual relationship.”

“LOVE also began messaging ASHLEY directly through SnapChat,” the lawsuit read. “This included contacting her late at night and asking her to meet him for drinks. Sometimes LOVE would tell her that he was out drinking with WILLIAMS’ husband and he would invite ASHLEY to join them. ASHLEY did not accept the first several invitations to meet LOVE for drinks.

“When ASHLEY eventually did accept one of LOVE’s SnapChat invitations, they met in the parking lot of a Costco, after midnight. LOVE told ASHLEY he had just left the bars. They sat in the car and talked. LOVE chided ASHLEY about not bringing alcohol and asking her, if I leave for a different school, will you come with me?”

Knowing the coach wanted a sexual relationship, Scoggin allegedly was afraid of reporting Love.

“The relationship turned sexual,” the lawsuit read. “When LOVE wanted to have sex, he expected ASHLEY to be available and willing. Because LOVE was married and ASHLEY did not live alone, this involved sexual relations in different locations in University of Nebraska Department of Athletics facilities. It also included summoning ASHLEY to his hotel room when the team traveled to road games.”

The lawsuit also alleges coach Williams did nothing to aid Scoggin in this situation.

“On the night before the game (on February 17, 2022), members of the team and practice players created a ruse to successfully confirm and record on video ASHLEY’s presence in LOVE’s hotel room. This ruse included a practice player falsely representing himself as LOVE to a desk clerk in order to obtain LOVE’s room key; it ended in two team members confronting ASHLEY in LOVE’s room. They reported their findings and showed their video recording to WILLIAMS. LOVE instructed ASHLEY to deny anything improper, and he told her that he would talk to WILLIAMS.

“Upon receiving this report, WILLIAMS took no measures to protect ASHLEY’s confidentiality or to advise ASHLEY of her rights. She took no measures to meaningfully explore whether what had been reported to her was the result of an abuse of power, ethics and status by LOVE. She did not exercise leadership to address the emotionality of the situation, the confrontation that was reported to her, or the likelihood that her student-athlete was sexually exploited by her Associate Head Coach.”

The situation was then turned on Scoggin by Williams.

“The next day, WILLIAMS called a team meeting before the game. At the meeting (which lasted multiple hours), WILLIAMS invited the team members to interrogate both ASHLEY and LOVE. With WILLIAMS’ encouragement, the team members assailed ASHLEY, screaming and crying and using profanity. Both ASHLEY and LOVE denied anything improper. The team members then accused ASHLEY of lying. ASHLEY felt panicked, trapped and profoundly ashamed. She could not, in that setting with LOVE inches away and watching her, admit the truth of what had been happening.

“WILLIAMS cast ASHLEY in the role of a seducer and a liar. She allowed the players to berate and accuse ASHLEY for hours. She did not redirect or counsel the players that what they had seen may be the result of an abuse of power by her Associate Head Coach. WILLIAMS told the group that she would allow the team to decide how to handle the situation. Following the emotionality of the team, WILLIAMS suspended ASHLEY from the team and suspended LOVE with pay.”