Bobby Hurley on Wednesday defended his relationship with Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson after a report emerged saying there was a rift between them.
The Arizona Republic’s Craig Harris and Anne Ryman published a report on Wednesday saying Hurley sent an email to Anderson in December, 2019 that criticized the athletic director for a lack of response to an Arizona State booster’s sexual harassment.
A former Arizona State basketball employee, David Cohen, filed a $1.5 million notice of claim against the school in February, saying he was fired for reporting allegations of sexual harassment by booster Bart Wear. Wear filed a lawsuit in response denying the allegations and claiming he was being extorted.
In his email, Hurley told Anderson that the AD “disregarded the safety and shown no sensitivity towards the women that have experienced sexual assault. You have chosen to create your own numeric scale on what sexual assault means which is disturbing.”
Anderson responded by saying Hurley’s accusations were baseless.
After the report about the email came out on Wednesday, Hurley sent a text message to Harris saying his relationship with Anderson was strong.
Just received this text from @asu coach @BobbyHurley11: "My relationship with Athletic Director Ray Anderson today is strong. We will work together, alongside my outstanding coaching staff, toward the continued success of Sun Devil Men's Basketball."
— Craig Harris (@charrisazrep) May 28, 2020
Hurley, 48, is 93–69 in five seasons at Arizona State.
