Jason Gesser on ‘home assignment’ after new sexual misconduct complaint

Following last week’s Daily Evergreen story detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by current assistant athletic director for the Cougar Athletic Fund and former WSU quarterback Jason Gesser, another woman has reportedly come forward. The school announced in a news release today that Gesser is on “home assignment” while the Office of Equal Opportunity looks into the complaint.

OEO released no details about the complaint in the release but says they received it on Monday morning.

“This is new information and a different set of events than previously reported,” said Kimberly Anderson, Executive Director of the Office for Equal Opportunity in the media release. “In accordance with standard WSU practice and in consultation with relevant University officials, Mr. Gesser was placed on home assignment pending a full investigation of the allegations.”

The Daily Evergreen article detailed a previous investigation by OEO in which no formal complaint was filed, so the report was forwarded to the university’s human resources department, with the school’s vice president for marketing and communications Phil Weiler saying that’s as much as the office could do without a complaint.

This second allegation is different. The OEO points out in the release that “this is the first time that an individual who was directly involved in an alleged incident of sexual misconduct has filed a formal complaint ... against Mr. Gesser.”

OEO did not give a timeline for when their investigation will be complete. We will keep you updated on any other developments.

Gesser had previously issued a strong denial of the allegations against him following the publication of the original story by The Daily Evergreen.

Additionally, it appears another legendary WSU quarterback, Jack Thompson, is tied up in this to some degree. According to The Inlander’s story on Friday:

Thompson ... admonished those who reported concerns, according to records of the investigation obtained by the Inlander. He urged members of the athletic department and Cougar Athletic Fund to “fall in line,” adding that it was Thompson’s position to prevent the allegations from reaching WSU President Kirk Schulz, records show.

And Matt Almond, general manager at WSU IMG, which broadcasts Cougar games, said he was told to “stay in my lane” by Thompson after reporting concerns about Gesser to his supervisor, records show.

UPDATED, 9/17 at 4:40 p.m.: The woman who made the complaint against Gesser is former WSU athlete Alyssa Bodeau, who was interviewed by The Spokesman Review today.

Wold (Bodeau’s maiden name) said the recent revelations about allegations against Gesser made her come forward. She said she felt the need to speak out now to prevent what happened to her from happening to others.

”I purely want to help prevent this from happening to more girls,” Wold said. “He has to be stopped.”

Bodeau’s complaint filed with the OEO today surrounds Gesser’s actions at a fundraising event three years ago where Bodeau said he tried to force himself on her.