Iowa State coach receives two-year contract extension after accusations from players

DES MOINES – Less than two weeks after being publicly accused of mistreating former players, Iowa State women's soccer coach Matt Fannon is getting a contract extension.

Iowa State announced Monday a two-year extension for Fannon, who has come under fire from former members of his programs at Iowa State and Bowling Green State University. Iowa State officials have repeatedly declined to comment on the accusations since the Des Moines Register reported on them.

“I respect and appreciate the continued commitment that Matt is making to the development of the women in our program, both on and off the playing field,” Iowa State director of athletics Jamie Pollard said in a statement announcing the extension. “He is instilling the same levels of expectation, discipline and accountability towards our student-athletes that all of our head coaches seek. I am excited about the future of our soccer program under Matt’s leadership.”

Fannon was previously under contract until 2024 before Iowa State's decision to add two years to the deal.

More:Former players accuse Iowa State women’s soccer coach of verbal abuse, body shaming

What the players said Matt Fannon did

Former Iowa State players accused Fannon of body shaming, verbally berating players and coaches, and kicking balls at staff members. Players also said he forced them to do daily weigh-ins before and after practice and used a dangerous drill in which at least one player suffered a major injury.

Former Iowa State soccer player Olivia Wee was the first to come forward with allegations of mistreatment. Eight other former members of the program, speaking to the Register on the condition of anonymity, verified parts of Wee's claims and said the program sorely needed change.

Cora Anderson, a former goalkeeper for Iowa State, later said in an interview with the Register that Fannon tried kicking her off the team after she was diagnosed with a medical condition.

More:Another former Iowa State women's soccer player accuses coach Matt Fannon of mistreatment

Alysa Abernot, a former goalkeeper at Bowling Green, where Fannon coached before coming to Ames, filed a Title IX complaint against Fannon, accusing him of telling her to get breast reduction surgery. Bowling Green released that complaint to the Register after Abernot gave her permission to have it become public. The school cleared Fannon of any wrongdoing in response to that complaint.

Since the Register's report, some players have also come forward to defend the soccer coach.

ISU official says she has 'overwhelming confidence' in Fannon

Iowa State has yet to comment in any detail on the allegations from the former players.

In Monday's news release announcing the contract extension, senior associate athletics director Calli Sanders said school officials have "overwhelming confidence" in Fannon and the soccer coaching staff.

“We have a continuous evaluation process for all of our programs, including a robust communications platform for student-athletes to share their experiences,” Sanders, who oversees women's soccer at the university, said in a statement. "In the last three years — including recent feedback from our current student-athletes — there is an overwhelming confidence in the leadership of our soccer program and the trajectory of the team’s future. Developing a winning culture takes time and our coaching staff and student-athletes are united in working towards the competitive results that we desire.”

Approached Monday morning at the Iowa State women's basketball game to ask about Fannon's contract extension, Sanders told a Register reporter to "stay away from me."

ISU declines to say whether there are any Title IX complaints against Fannon

University officials also denied an open records request for any Title IX complaints against Fannon, Sanders or Tony Minatta, the school’s previous soccer coach.

Iowa State further declined a request for any Title IX complaints filed against anyone in the program since Fannon was hired in 2019. Iowa State cited Federal Title IX regulations, Iowa Code and university policy as reasons for keeping them confidential.

"Records relating to Title IX complaints and investigations are confidential and are not subject to public disclosure. This is true of the complaint documents themselves and other information that is likely to allow for the identification of individuals making a Title IX complaint or who are the subject of a Title IX complaint. Accordingly, to the extent any records exist that are responsive to your request, they would be confidential and not subject to disclosure," the school said in response to the request.

Every school is required to give students the opportunity to file complaints about sex discrimination under Title IX of federal civil rights law. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities.

Angie Hunt, Iowa State’s news service director, said earlier that she couldn't confirm or deny whether there were any complaints filed against Fannon.

Before the contract extension, Hunt also declined to answer if any of the allegations were concerning to the school. Wee, who remains a student at Iowa State, said she has not been contacted by anyone at the university regarding her allegations or well-being since she went public with her concerns.

Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said the Register's request was broad enough for the school to comply. He called the university's lack of response "troubling."

“Their refusal to share the statistical information sends a signal that they don’t want anybody to know whether they are adhering to the rules and polices and the procedures or whether their employees are disregarding those rules, policies and procedures,” Evans said.

Nancy Hogshed-Makar, CEO of Champion Women, said recently that she was concerned with how Iowa State has addressed the former players' accusations.

“I don’t like it because athletes don’t have a pathway to be able to speak and talk about their experience,” she said. “They don’t know if you have anything you want to raise, this is where you go.”

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State soccer coach Matt Fannon's contract extended two years