The entire athletics department at Cal State Bakersfield is currently embroiled by scandal. A human trafficking arrest within the college basketball program has now reached the college softball team.
Parents and players both past and present are starting to speak out in support of two coaches who are currently removed from their roles because of a separate incident earlier this year.
It seems as though the college softball player who previously alleged poor treatment might’ve been at the center of a cover-up for something much larger. Neither she nor the university chose to comment.
Kevin Mays was arrested in September.
Mays played college basketball at Cal State Bakersfield from 2014 to 2016. He served as an assistant coach at his alma mater over the last six seasons.
Not anymore! The 32-year-old was arrested and fired last month.
The Bakersfield Police Department began its investigation into Kevin Mays in August after an anonymous tip claimed a woman was being trafficked across California, Oregon and Washington. Detectives later located the victim in Sacramento. She identified Mays as her alleged trafficker.
Investigators also connected Mays and the victim through traffic stops, rental car records and multiple advertisements on the internet. Officers served a warrant to arrest the assistant coach on Sept. 5.
They also searched his car and apartment. They found loaded, unregistered guns, narcotics and other evidence of drug sales.
In addition to the felony counts in connection to the pimping and pandering investigation, Mays was charged with multiple misdemeanor counts related to firearms and drug possession and two felony counts for the possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Athletic director Kyle Conder immediately stepped down after the arrest of Mays. Legendary head basketball coach Rod Barnes suddenly resigned from his role at the end of September.
Cal State Bakersfield has multiple scandals on its hands.
To understand the ongoing issue with the softball program, we must first go back to March. Senior infielder Violet Salazar (who has since transferred to a different school) posted multiple videos on TikTok.
She accused assistant college softball coach James Davenport of misconduct. Davenport is the head coach of Letty Olivarez. Both coaches were placed on administrative leave.
Salazar accused Davenport of grabbing her body after a shower, which left a bruise.
“I came out of the shower in spandex and I saw coach James who was waiting for me right outside the locker room,” she said in the video. “He grabbed my thigh really hard and looked at me in the face.”
She also described a close relationship with the head coach’s husband. Davenport allegedly offered Salazar a way to make money by selling autographed Kobe Bryant jerseys but she stopped selling the jerseys after she discovered the signatures were fake. That supposedly caused him to retaliate.
“Coach, like, you didn’t tell me these jerseys were fake. I’m not selling these for you. Like, I don’t feel comfortable. I’m not getting involved in that,” Salazar said. “He’s also threatened me and pulled a gun out on me, and they used the N word and body shamed.”
To validate her claims, Salazar shared a screen recording of what she claimed to be a FaceTime call with Davenport. She claimed he showed off his guns while on the call.
Six other players on the team allegedly reported inappropriate behavior in 2024.
“It made us all feel insecure as a woman, as I and a lot of other teammates were body shamed. Like he told one girl that she was too fat to play third base,” Salazar said.
None of these claims are confirmed. They might be part of a cover-up.
The college softball program is linked to the college basketball program.
Head coach Letty Olivarez and her husband, assistant coach James Davenport were both suspended because of the accusations of Violet Salazar. Olivarez remains under investigation on paid leave. Davenport’s contract expired at the end of May. He is no longer with the program.
This is where it gets (even more) messy.
Davenport and Olivarez deny any wrongdoing. They believe they were made out to be the scapegoat.
Maren Angus-Coombs of Softball On SI spoke to multiple members of the Cal State Bakersfield softball program and to Davenport. Her findings cast doubt on the allegations of Salazar. Parents spoke out against the claims of mistreatment and called for both coaches to be immediately reinstated. They also claim the university ignored multiple red flags along the way.
First and foremost, Salazar was allegedly dated Kevin Mays before his arrest. They are being accused of launching this investigation into the two softball coaches to draw attention away from their relationship.
Additionally, the father of former Roadrunners first baseman Karissa Munsey told Angus-Coombs that his daughter’s testimony against Salazar’s allegations were pushed aside. It was deemed untrue.
“She was told by Mrs. Poole Callahan that her story seemed rehearsed,” Munsey’s told Softball On SI. “Karissa told her that the truth, regardless of who tells it, will sound the same because it’s the truth. Mrs. Poole Callahan dismissed everything that my daughter told her and what the other players told her that contradicted Violet.”
Cal State Bakersfield says it is working to determine all of the facts. Parents are not happy with the treatment of their daughters. They want Callahan and Olivarez back in the dugout. Salazar is gone.
The post Cal State Bakersfield Basketball Pimping Scandal Casts Major Doubt On College Softball Investigation appeared first on BroBible.
Cal State Bakersfield Basketball Pimping Scandal Casts Major Doubt On College Softball Investigation
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