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Former San Jose State trainer charged with sexually assaulting female athletes

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Posted at 10:58 AM, Mar 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-11 13:58:00-05

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Department of Justice announced Thursday that they had charged San Jose State's former director of sports medicine for allegedly sexually assaulting four female athletes between 2017 and 2020.

Federal prosecutors said in a press release that Scott Shaw is accused of violating the civil rights of four female SJSU athletes by touching their breasts and buttocks without their consent while treating them for injuries.

The 54-year-old faces a maximum of six years in prison if convicted of all counts.

"Shaw, as a state employee for the California State University system, is further alleged to have acted under color of law when he sexually assaulted the victims," the DOJ said in a statement.

The DOJ said Shaw will appear to face charges in U.S. District Court in San Jose on a date that has yet to be determined.

According to the Associated Press, Shaw was first accused of sexually assaulting female swimmers when allegations were brought forward in 2009. Still, the university cleared him of all wrongdoing.

He continued working another 10 years before allegations were brought against him in 2019 after swimming coach Sage Hopkins alerted school officials of more alleged misconduct.

Shaw resigned from the school in 2020.

Last October, University President Mary Papazian submitted her resignation after the Justice Department ordered the university to pay 13 female student-athletes $1.6 million after they found the school failed to respond to complaints about being sexually assaulted by Shaw.