Lars Jorgensen Denies Sexual Abuse Allegations, Says Relationships Were “Consensual”

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Former University of Kentucky head coach Lars Jorgensen denies allegations of sexual abuse and harassment that surfaced earlier this month, instead claiming he had consensual relationships with his accusers who filed a lawsuit against him on April 12.

Jorgensen, 53, was sued by two former Kentucky swimmers and assistant coaches alleging that he fostered a “toxic, sexually hostile environment” inside the Wildcats’ swim program.

In denying the accusations, which include rape, Jorgensen claims he had consensual dating relationships with his accusers while they worked under him as assistant coaches at Kentucky, according to The Lexington Herald.

Jorgensen’s defense has a few problems.

First, his accusers say they didn’t have consensual relationships with Jorgensen, calling him a “serial sexual predator” in their lawsuit and not a romantic partner.

The lawsuit includes text messages that provide evidence to this claim, including an angry response to Jorgensen’s proposition for sex on Dec. 28, 2022, reminding him that he’s in a position of power over them and they didn’t want any sexual activity to occur.

“I am not attracted to you in any way beyond a coach/professional role,” she texted him, according to the suit. “I don’t want to meet up. I just wanted to be clear that I did not enjoy what happened and do not want that to happen again.”

“Agree!!!!” Jorgensen replied, according to the suit.

Secondly, even if Jorgensen’s claims of a consensual relationship were true, it would violate the University of Kentucky’s Employee Code of Conduct, as it’s required to disclose dating relationships with subordinate members of the coaching staff.

The school “strongly urges those individuals in positions of authority not to engage in conduct of an amorous or sexual nature with a person they are, or are likely in the future to be, in a position of evaluating.”

If a relationship were to occur, it would need to be reported to the university in order to have someone else evaluate the performance of the lower-level employee.

“No records exist of Jorgensen reporting any consensual relationships at any time with people he supervised,” Kentucky spokeswoman Kristi Willett said, according to The Lexington Herald.

Jorgensen’s attorney Greg Anderson, who blamed the allegations on “NCAA woke philosophy” last week, offered the following response to The Lexington Herald when asked about the lack of evidence of Jorgensen reporting the relationships.

“If he did not, that’s not a fact the plaintiffs need to be focusing on. I’ll find out there. If indeed this is part of about every AD (athletic department’s) rules across the country, then about 50% of coaches — the single ones — are in breach. Not a defense … just sayin’.”

Mariah Burton Nelson, a former college and pro basketball player who authored “Staying In Bounds: An NCAA Model Policy to Prevent Inappropriate Relationships Between Student-Athletes and Athletics Department Personnel” and has advised the NCAA on the ethics of relationships in college sports offered her perspective on the situation.

“Even his defense does not hold water. Coaches should not have sexual relationships with any of their staff, including assistant coaches,” Nelson told The Lexington Herald.

“The assistant is in a one-down position, dependent on that coach for continued employment in the job itself; promotions; raises; plum assignments; and recommendations for future jobs,” said Nelson. “This is the same dynamic in any workplace,” she said. “Bosses must not take advantage of their staff with sexual overtures, demands or ‘consensual’ relationships. It’s unethical.”

“We need to start believing women,” Nelson continued. “The athletes in this situation are claiming this was predatory behavior and abuse. When a coach claims it was consensual and didn’t start until after they graduated — and besides, he has the right to date his assistant coaches — we should see through these weak defenses and take the women at their word.”

Jorgensen’s accusers, one of whom is Briggs Alexander and the other unnamed going under the pseudonym Jane Doe, were recruited by Jorgensen as teenage high schoolers and claim to have been groomed during their time as swimmers with him before joining Kentucky’s coaching staff in their early 20s.

Anderson claims any romantic relationship between Jorgensen and his accusers didn’t start until they were coaches.

“Each one of the plaintiffs dated Lars. They were each an assistant coach,” Anderson told The Lexington Herald.

“Each one of them dated Lars for several months — and in the timeline, long after any of the alleged events. If this was so traumatic and such a bad act, why would you keep dating and sleeping with the perpetrator?”

“None of them were ever fired, none of them were ever demoted. He wrote recommendations for every one of them,” he said.

“Certainly we all understand that no means no. But in the dynamics of a relationship a lot of things happen that can be spun later, particularly if there is a dollar involved.”

Alexander and Doe also implicate former Kentucky coach Gary Conelly, current athletic director Mitch Barnhart and the University of Kentucky, claiming they had “deliberate indifference” to numerous complaints of Jorgensen’s conduct.

“Despite years of complaints, the university did not take any steps to stop Jorgensen from abusing students and employees,” the plaintiffs say in the lawsuit. “In fact, he was permitted to resign and even received a partial payment on the remainder of his contract.”

Jorgensen resigned last summer amid an investigation after a decade in Lexington, receiving a $75,000 settlement and foregoing the rest of the $402,500 left on his contract through the 2024-25 season.

SwimSwam: Lars Jorgensen Denies Sexual Abuse Allegations, Says Relationships Were “Consensual”