Former University of California, Berkeley softball player is accusing ex-coach Chelsea Spencer of pushing her into a sexual relationship. The allegations come from an anonymous former player in a bombshell lawsuit. The player also claims things got ugly after she decided to end the relationship.
According to the lawsuit, Spencer allegedly encouraged the romantic relationship while she was in a position of authority over the player. That alone raises plenty of eyebrows.
And then came the alleged punishment. The former player claims she faced negative treatment after ending the relationship. In other words, breaking up was allegedly not as simple as saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Apparently, there was a scoreboard for heartbreak too.
In the lawsuit, the player claimed Spencer made advances on her not too long after the player joined the softball team as a pitcher in 2023.
The coach would call and text her every day about personal topics and give compliments such as “You’re so beautiful” and “Your girlfriend is so lucky,” the complaint alleged.
Those conversations mattered, lawyers for the former player said. Her playing time would increase or decrease depending on how the player responded to Spencer’s inquiries, the allegations said.
That accusation is especially serious. Colleges have policies for relationships involving coaches and athletes for a reason. Coaches have power, players depend on them for playing time, development, recommendations, and sometimes their entire college sports experience.
So when romance enters that equation, things can get messy very quickly.
Spencer’s advances allegedly escalated in May 2024 when the two ended up in a hotel room together during a team trip. The intimacy was “mutual,” the player alleged, but there was a power dynamic in play.
“Keeping Spencer emotionally satisfied was necessary not only to protect [her] own position and playing opportunities, but also to keep the team functioning,” the complaint said.
About a year later, the ex-player decided to end the relationship. That allegedly led to an argument between the two before a game, in which Spencer allegedly said, “You’re not pitching.”
Several school officials, including the associate athletics director, knew about the relationship, the lawsuit claimed. But instead of Spencer’s removal, the player herself was removed and missed her senior season, it added.
According to the lawsuit, that removal effectively ended her softball career and led her to leave campus to study online for the rest of her degree.
“Student athletes at our institutions, they shouldn’t have to choose between resisting a coach or someone else with a large power imbalance over them, and on the other hand protecting their own athletic and educational future,” said Michael Carney, with the law firm Slater Slater Schulman, which is representing the ex-player.
Coaches are supposed to teach athletes how to handle pressure. They are not supposed to become the source of it.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the University of California and Spencer.
The former coach, who had resigned to “prioritize my mental health and my family,” told Berkeleyside that “claims will be addressed in the appropriate legal processes.” A UC Berkeley spokesperson declined comment to the outlet.
For now, the case is another reminder that college sports can have drama far beyond the scoreboard.
