Calhoun Refutes Allegations Made In Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun issued a lengthy statement Saturday denying a number of accusations made against him in a Title IX sex discrimination lawsuit filed against the University of Saint Joseph, his current employer, by a former assistant athletic director earlier this week.

Calhoun, who ended a six-year retirement by assuming the head coaching duties for the Blue Jays upon the admission of men to the university in 2018, blasted the media, particularly the Hartford Courant, for its usage of "inflated and misleading headlines" in reporting the story Wednesday afternoon. The Courant's original headline indicated Calhoun was being sued; about an hour later, the newspaper posted a retraction on Twitter, substituting an accurate headline.

Jaclyn Piscitelli, who was fired from her position as assistant athletic director in June following a series of complaints to university officials about sexist treatment in the workplace, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming Calhoun, assistant coach Glen Miller and others within the athletic department engaged in sexually harassing behavior toward her. She also says officials "permitted Calhoun and Miller to transform the work environment in the athletic department to one that was openly hostile and disdainful toward women and where women were treated as second class citizens."

The lawsuit cites instances of the favoritism shown to male employees of the athletic department. The addition of new male teams in 2018 caused a marked increase in Piscitelli's workload, but repeated requests for additional help were denied, she claims. However, sports information director Josh Ingham was granted a 20 hours per week assistant, plus an intern and a graduate assistant.

Calhoun is cited in the lawsuit as being rude and condescending toward Piscitelli. He "consistently and repeatedly told [her] to open his office door for him, even when he had his office keys in his hands, and without so much as a simple 'hello.' There was an instance in which Calhoun knocked a number of single-serve coffee K-cups onto the floor and stepped on them, creating a mess of coffee grounds and packaging on the floor and made [Piscitelli] clean them up, stating that if he made such a mess at home, his wife would clean up after him."

Inappropriate comments directed at Piscitelli from the men's basketball coaches are also included in the lawsuit. On one occasion, "Calhoun made a statement to [Piscitelli], 'Well, you're certainly hot,' using 'hot' in its slang usage to mean physically or sexually attractive. Miller also made numerous inappropriate comments to [her], including criticizing her for not being cheerful or smiling enough. On one occasion when [Piscitelli] had a serious, professional demeanor, Miller said to her, 'I'd swipe left too.' Miller's statement was a reference to the popular dating app Tinder, in which users may swipe left to reject further contact with another user or swipe right to indicate sexual or romantic interest in another user."

Here is the complete text of the statement issued by Calhoun Saturday.

"I was stunned and saddened to read the inflated and misleading headlines and the accusations directed at me this past Wednesday, and again in an editorial in Friday’s Hartford Courant, by an ex-USJ employee and an all-too-eager click-driven media.

I am angry and hurt that the reputation that I’ve worked so hard to achieve for over 50 years - actually, for more than 77 years - was so easily dismissed and thrown aside in return for headlines or eyeballs or whatever the appropriate term is here. And I’m especially angry that my career and my name are being used for legal grandstanding instead of in support for the victims of discrimination.

While I am best known as a coach, I am first and foremost a husband, father, grandfather (to 5 granddaughters and 1 grandson), brother (to 4 sisters and 1 brother), and a son who was raised by a widowed mother. I am a proud Democrat. I was born a Boston Irishman and have lived in Connecticut for nearly 34 years. I voted for Hillary. I married a feminist. And I have stood in support for women’s rights and equality for all for as long as I can remember. I spent the last 8 years at UConn proudly working under a president who was a woman. I work under a visionary woman president today and I’m excited that the Athletic Department at USJ is under the direction of a newly-hired, talented woman.

I am not without flaws. I can be stubborn, demanding, and overly passionate on the basketball court. I hold the people that work with me to a very high standard regardless of gender, race, or position. I believe that hard work is the key to success and that there are no shortcuts to the top. I believe in treating people fairly and I’m extremely proud of my track record in this area. I have always believed that taking responsibility for one’s actions is a given, and I believe that leaders lead by example. I have made mistakes throughout my life and I know that I will continue to do so. However, I firmly and unequivocally, at no time, knowingly treated any woman unfairly because of her gender. In addition, let me be clear, I have never treated any woman inappropriately.

I accepted the position at USJ not for money or additional fame. Frankly speaking, at 75 I didn’t need to work. But I was and continue to be motivated by the challenge of putting the university’s athletics on the “front porch” of what USJ represents as an institution. I believe fully in its mission. I believe in the power, energy, and optimism of young women and men. I believe that the decision by USJ’s Sisters of Mercy to become a fully coeducational institution wasn’t intended to change the nature of what USJ is, but rather, to add and expand to the richness of USJ and its mission to all women and men.

I am overwhelmed by, and incredibly grateful for, the outpouring of support that I have received these past few days from the women I have worked with throughout my career. Women who have known me - family, friends, peers, and co-workers from throughout my life - have expressed outrage at these false allegations and are unequivocally supportive of the person that I am. That means the world to me and I would like to say thank you.

I have also had the good fortune to build a reputation beyond those who know me best. I have always been incredibly honored by that opportunity and I take that responsibility seriously. I have looked upon that as a chance to inspire people to stand up for those with no voice. I have done my best to pay it forward and I will continue to do so regardless of those who seek to benefit from my name or headline-grabbing notoriety. I will go on as a champion of cardiovascular disease, cancer, autism, UConn, USJ, Juvenile Diabetes, the Franciscan Life Center and other organizations who seek to help those who are less fortunate.

As for the accusations that have been reported, I will say only this - I’m not sure when asking a colleague if they would mind opening the door because my hands were full became discrimination or when self-deprecation for being an aging, clumsy husband became an insult. And call me old-fashioned in this regard…I use the word “hot” to describe the weather and the temperature of my morning coffee. And the only woman I openly compliment is my wife of 53 years and frankly, I call her “beautiful” or “pretty”... because she is."

Jim Calhoun