Boston University to Seek External Recommendations for Athletics Policies and Practices
Boston University announced Thursday that it will seek a new outside review to make recommendations about ways to enhance the athletics department’s current policies, processes, and best practices to further strengthen support for student well-being and procedures for addressing issues as they arise.
Concerns have recently been raised by some athletes about their experiences and interactions with former coaches. On Wednesday, June 25, the Boston Globe published a story focused on complaints raised regarding Casey Brown, former women’s head soccer coach, who left her position last fall.
The University released the following statement:
“Concerns were raised in the fall of 2024 about then head women’s soccer coach Casey Brown. Within days of receiving those initial complaints, BU launched an external investigation and hired Phil Catanzano of Education & Sports Law Group to conduct a comprehensive examination of the situation. The investigation found no evidence of sexual harassment and no BU policy violations. Nevertheless, BU and Brown parted ways, and Brown is no longer the head coach. The current coach was appointed in 2025.
We have a premiere athletics program that strives for excellence in the scholar-athlete experience, which includes exemplary practices and policies. We have a robust system of resources, support, and staff dedicated to student well-being and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office. In recent weeks, the BU Equal Opportunity Office has reached out to every BU athlete to review resources, support, and reporting processes.
BU is committed to continually evaluating and seeking new best practices to enhance our program in supporting the health, wellness, and excellence of our athletes.
As part of that commitment, we invite a new external review to look at our policies, processes, and other practices. This is designed to evaluate our preventions, resources for support and care, and processes for follow-up should athletes bring complaints.
We are dedicated to ensuring an environment in which our athletes feel encouraged to raise concerns and that reports are addressed in ways that are consistent, lawful, and focused on the well-being of our athletes. These structures must be responsive and supportive of those who bring forth concerns, as well as provide fair fact-finding practices and privacy for all involved, including our student-athletes and staff.
The University takes harassment and sexual harassment, as well as reporting, seriously. We look forward to an external review’s recommendations that can provide suggestions for continued improvements as we strive for excellence in our athletic program.”