Former San Jose State University sports medicine director Scott Shaw has admitted in a plea deal that he sexually abused four female athletes during physical therapy sessions, prosecutors announced this week.
Shaw, 56, initially faced six misdemeanor counts of abusing his authority in a recent federal trial that resulted in a hung jury — despite the testimony of eight former university athletes. On Tuesday, he reportedly took a deal to avoid retrial by pleading guilty to two of the charges.
The former trainer faces up to one year in prison for each count and $200,000 in fines.
“Shaw now has acknowledged his guilt and has admitted the conduct that resulted in the charges that were filed against him,” said prosecutor Patrick Robbins with the U.S. attorney’s office. “We hope his guilty plea and conviction bring some level of solace to his victims, and we now look to sentencing which will be a major step toward bringing this matter to a conclusion.”
Shaw was sports medicine director from 2008 to 2020 and served as associate director for two years prior, according to USA Today. He was first accused in 2009 by 17 swimmers and divers who reported him to the university, but the school “quietly” cleared Shaw of all wrongdoing, according to a 2020 investigation by the newspaper.
It was only after the university’s swim coach Sage Hopkins repeatedly re-reported their allegations to school officials — as well as to the NCAA, federal agencies and the Mountain West Conference — that the university finally agreed to reopen the case in December 2019, USA Today reported.
The eight former athletes who took the stand said Shaw reached inside their shorts and bras to fondle their breasts, groins and buttocks. They said he never asked for consent or explained the reasoning for his supposed treatments, which Shaw never documented, according to USA Today.
The school ultimately settled alleged Title IX violations with the Justice Department in 2021 and has also reportedly paid more than $7 million to 30 of Shaw’s accusers.
Prosecutors say Shaw will face his sentencing trial in November.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.