BOUNTIFUL — Two Bountiful volleyball coaches were suspended from their duties after the family of two players filed a civil lawsuit alleging assault and battery against the team's head coach.
Davis School District spokesman Christopher Williams said head coach Lane Herrick and assistant coach Joel Burton, who is also the school's head women's basketball coach, were suspended Wednesday.
"Both coaches have been placed on leave as coaches," Williams said, "but they remain at the school as teachers."
School officials placed the coaches on leave six days after a complaint was filed in 2nd District Court by Clair and Jill Asay and their two teenage daughters who play volleyball at Bountiful high alleging assault and battery against Herrick. The complaint details two incidents that allegedly occurred this season, as well as a pattern of inappropriate and abusive behavior.
“Herrick has engaged in the past in verbal assault on minor McCall Asay and physical battery upon her,” the complaint states. “For example, he routinely grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her outside the gym, where he would yell, ‘You suck.’ He also in the past asked her at what age she started her menstrual cycle.”
The first incident allegedly occurred on Aug. 28. The complaint says Herrick asked the team to fill out a packet of information on how the coaching staff could improve.
“Defendant Herrick instructed the team to ‘be completely honest’ and that he wanted to receive honest opinions, regardless of the opinions the players held,” the complaint states.
McCall filled out the packet, "then handed the packet to her sister, minor Sydney Asay, to read over and make sure nothing offensive was contained in the packet.” McCall then gave the paper to Herrick “and put her name on it.”
On Aug. 31, Herrick told the girls’ mother that he was upset about what McCall had written about the staff. Herrick called the girl into his office.
“Minor McCall Asay was hesitant to go in, but defendant Herrick stood behind her and guided her in and closed the office door,” the complaint says. McCall said she was uncomfortable with the door being closed, even though Burton, who is also the school's head basketball coach, followed them into the room.
The complaint alleges that Herrick berated McCall for what she’d written and then asked if she regretted it. When she said she did not, the suit claims Herrick “lost all control and started yelling at” the player and "physically advanced toward her" as she feared for her safety.
“Herrick continued yelling … that she would lose her varsity position and that a sophomore would be playing in her place,” the complaint says. When Herrick allegedly moved toward Asay, she ran from the room sobbing and took refuge in a restroom, where several of her teammates comforted her.
The complaint also alleges that while other players were helping McCall, her sister Sydney entered the area and Herrick ”physically grabbed” her.
“Sydney Asay pushed him away and said, ‘Don’t you touch me,’” according to the complaint. Herrick then allegedly ordered the players comforting McCall to “get back in the gym.”
Jill Asay later asked Burton if Herrick had “crossed the line and became abusive to her daughters, (and) defendant Burton verified that indeed he had crossed the line.”
The second incident occurred on Sept. 2, just two days before the suit was filed. McCall was hurt when a ball rolled under her feet while she was jump serving and none of the coaches came to her aid as she was crying and lying on the floor in pain, the suit claims.
Mother Jill Asay was also an assistant volleyball coach at the school before resigning her position on Sept. 9, but Davis District spokesman Williams said she hasn't been at practice or worked with the team since Aug. 31.
Williams said that school officials found someone to coach the team's match on Thursday and their tournament this weekend.
"They're working to find an interim coach," Williams said.
While the allegations of abuse were leveled at Herrick, the complaint alleges Burton had a duty to put a stop to the situations or tell administrators about the problems.
Clair Asay, the girls' father, said he and his wife met with school administrators, including principal Gregory Wilkey last Wednesday to address the most recent issues, which were outlined in the complaint. He said administrators have fielded other complaints, some in writing, over several years, and they felt the issue would again be ignored if they didn't take legal action.
"They've known about this individual for years," Clair Asay said. "I felt they basically wanted to just slide it under the rug."
He said when his oldest daughter, McCall, was injured at a Sept. 2 practice and none of the coaching staff came to her aid, he felt the situation had become critical.
"The thing that tipped this whole thing was when McCall got hurt," he said. "The whole gym stopped, looked at her and because they were afraid to go to her, no one but her sister helped her. The coaches did nothing. That was the turning point."
Clair said his daughters have been ostracized, and they were benched. Both girls, McCall, a senior outside hitter, and Sydney, a junior outside hitter, have played on the team's varsity squad since they were sophomores. After the incidents detailed in the complaint, the girls told their parents they were willing to sacrifice the season to try and deal with the issues.
"When this incident happened, as a family, in order to stop the behavior from happening, we thought somebody needs to come forward," he said. "The girls made a conscious decision saying it's going to stop with us. They're sacrificing their (high school) volleyball careers by doing this. They go to practices, but he's told them, they will not be playing any varsity. ...This past week, they've just practiced with the sophomores."
The Bountiful volleyball team is one of the best in the 4A classification. The Braves are currently ranked fourth and are considered a contender for region and state titles.
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