Utah Board of Higher Education carries a motion in favor of President Cockett

During a meeting with the Utah Board of Higher Education on Friday, the Board ruled on a motion in favor of Utah State University President Noelle Cockett. The motion concerned comments attributed to Cockett about interim Head Coach Frank Maile’s religious and cultural background.

The statement, as indicated by the Board, expresses the seriousness of the concern by USU student athletes.

“Because the athletes were focused on expressing their support for Coach Maile, we conclude that it is likely they understandably interpreted Pres. Cockett’s comments as a criticism of or commentary on Coach Maile.”

However, the Board holds that while some remarks may have been interpreted as potential religious or cultural bias, they were not intended as such.

Following the findings of the report, the Board said it will continue to work with Cockett to foster an inclusive, safe campus community.

The Board also expressed unanimous support for Cockett.

On Dec. 11, 2020, it was reported that USU football players were opting out of their final game against Colorado State University.

The decision to opt out of the game came after several players voiced concerns over Cockett’s apparent remarks that Maile would struggle in his position due to his cultural and religious background.

Maile is Polynesian and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In response to Cockett’s remarks, the team had a players-only meeting and unanimously agreed to boycott the game against CSU.

The Utah State Board of Trustees and the Utah Board of Higher Education launched an investigation after an initial review.

After the review, it was revealed that the players requested a zoom meeting with Cockett on Dec. 8 to “discuss the future of this football program.”

According to a report released from the Utah System of Higher Education, USU Athletic Director John Hartwell, who was present during the call, said he would not characterize any of the comments in the meeting as raising concerns about Maile’s religious or ethnic background.

At the time, Hartwell indicated that he did not perceive any ill-will from the athletes in response to Cockett’s comments.

When Cockett was interviewed, she said, according to the report, that she wanted to talk about how the players were doing. She was trying to relate her experiences to the athletes so she mentioned that “it could be a little different and a little tough to live here.”

Cockett indicated that she said Cache Valley has limited diversity, which can create issues for some individuals.

She also denied saying that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not inclusive.

Cockett has also denied using any terms such as “Poly” to describe Maile’s heritage.

Thirty athletes were interviewed. According to the report, there were varying accounts of the zoom meeting with Cockett. Some students used the term “culture” in a vague way to describe Cache Valley. Other used it in reference to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Half of the students recalled specific references to “Polynesian” or “Poly” regarding Maile.

The report concluded by stating: “This is an instance where we are forced to reconcile very different accounts of the same conversation from parties who all seem to have provided honest and genuine responses to our questions. Unfortunately, because there is no recording of the meeting and a very limited written record, our investigation depends upon the after-the-fact impressions of the participants.”

USU public information officer Emilie Wheeler indicated that the university will not be offering interviews at this time.