A five-month investigation into University High School volleyball coach Jared Rudiger highlighted a series of concerns about his treatment of players, ultimately leading to his resignation during the 2024-25 school year.
The investigation conducted by James Donahue, the director of Title IX in Greeley-Evans School District 6, concluded in December 2024 that the complaints about Rudiger’s behavior were “moot” because the coach resigned and the girls involved had graduated, according to a complaint finding and recommendations report.
Based on the findings, University Schools, a charter school in District 6, then chose to rehire Rudiger in March for the 2025-26 season.
For at least a few parents of former players, the decision to allow his return was disappointing because of their daughter’s experiences under his coaching.
Three mothers, including Dawneen Banks, Jessica Bays, and a parent who asked for anonymity because of legal threats from Rudiger, spoke to the Greeley Tribune on behalf of their daughters and alleged misconduct by Rudiger, such as discussing players’ menstrual cycles, cursing at his team and failing to take bullying allegations seriously.
The mothers said that their daughters and other players on the team developed severe anxiety and depression in response to what they experienced as harassment, retaliation, humiliation and insults from Rudiger. Several players, they said, sought mental health counseling and some even became suicidal and self-harming.
“No student should ever have to be mistreated to a point — by an adult that they should feel safe with — where suicide feels like their only option,” the anonymous parent said. “This person would be removed without hesitation and with no opportunity to ever be around students again.”
Investigation findings, recommendations
The investigation began with a 2022 Title IX complaint against Rudiger.
In 2022, Banks’ daughter, then a junior, reported to her coaching staff that a teammate had been bullying and sexually harassing her, making derogatory and inappropriate comments about her appearance and body.
The player sought a Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) “Hardship Exception” Waiver to change schools. The waiver required showing a dated timeline of school and parental intervention and getting Ryan Wehrman, the University High School athletic director, to sign off on the request.
Between August 2022 and September 2022, Banks’ daughter met with Rudiger and a female coach about the issue. Her daughter accused Rudiger of blaming her for bringing drama to the team and being emotionally withdrawn. The coaches asked her to write out three ways she could improve, according to the player’s application for a CHSAA waiver.
Following attempts to report the harassment and bullying to her coaches, Banks’ daughter said she felt retaliated against when her playing time decreased, felt intimidated by her coaches and began receiving mental health support, including counseling and therapy.
The player’s application for a CHSAA waiver detailed that in late September, Rudiger subbed her into a home varsity game for the last set after being benched for the whole match. At the end of the play, she claimed, Rudiger pulled her out of the game, physically yanked her off the court and kneeled in front of her, cursing at her, according to Banks and other witnesses cited in Donahue’s report.
In Donahue’s report, Rudiger said he didn’t remember this incident. The report acknowledged “it more than likely occurred” based on witnesses’ consistent statements. Yet, because Rudiger had resigned at the time of the investigation, there were no ramifications or adverse actions.
The girl “was afraid to make further reports to the coaches for fear that they would again find her at fault and would ultimately remove all of her playing time, which is exactly what happened for the duration of the volleyball season,” according to the Banks’ application for a CHSAA waiver.
Banks and her husband turned to Principal Jeff Casey for guidance, meeting with him in October and November of 2022. Around the same time, the anonymous mom reported to the administration that their daughter had been experiencing similar bullying and sexual harassment by the same teammate.
CHSAA eventually granted the Banks’ request for their daughter to go from the No. 4 volleyball team in the state to Greeley West High School’s volleyball team, No. 53 in the state.
Both Banks and the second mom said neither the coaches nor the administration took further action to address the complaints, which led the concerned parents to turn to Donahue about the charter school’s lack of investigation into the Title IX complaint.
“UH repeatedly and willfully disregarded the pleas for help in numerous meetings about bullying, sexual harassment and toxic team culture,” Banks said.
Although Donahue’s reopening of the investigation into the 2022 Title IX complaint in August 2024 found that the players’ and parents’ allegations against Rudiger were “unsubstantiated,” according to his report, he determined the charter school’s officials initially failed to properly investigate the sexual harassment and bullying claims.
“The Title IX process was not followed in accordance with Board policy,” Donahue wrote in his report. “According to the findings, the UH Administrative team, led by Jeff Casey, did not complete the investigation and informal resolution process. There are no documents which support any process or investigative efforts.”
Donahue reported “apparent failures in communication between the UH Administrative team and the coaching staff,” according to his report. The lack of communication, he continued, “led to additional discussions with athletes by coaching staff including Jared Rudiger, which, had they received proper guidance and information, may have led to a different outcome.”
This wasn’t the only problem with administration highlighted in the report. Donahue found University Schools did not contact Rudiger’s most recent employer, Fort Collins High School, before hiring him.
In 2016, Rudiger accepted a job as the head volleyball coach at Fort Collins High School, but he resigned in May 2021 for reasons undisclosed by school officials. Rudiger then joined University High School in 2021, guiding the Bulldogs to secure their first state title in program history.
He voluntarily resigned at the time of the investigation in August 2024. Nicci Stuart then took over as head coach for the 2024-25 season.
After the investigation, Donahue made three recommendations for the charter school:
- University Schools should follow a very clear policy for reference checks and background checks for all staff members
- All complaints should follow a clear and defined process for assessment, investigation, documentation and resolution
- All complaints need to include all appropriate stakeholders in the associated conversations so appropriate action steps and supportive measures can be put in place to support all parties involved
Recently, the move to rehire Rudiger for the upcoming season resulted in a four-way tie at the March 11 Board of Governors meeting, leaving the decision up to Board Chair Justin Nelson.
“We begged you for help,” Banks said, addressing the board at a Feb. 12 board meeting. “You decided a state-winning volleyball team with a decorated head coach meant more than the lives of a few girls. You have to decide if you are going to reject the evidence provided by an investigator in forensic child trauma or roll the dice again on Jared Rudiger.”
The Tribune asked to speak with Nelson and Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Weaver about Rudiger’s return, but they responded with a shared statement, declining to provide detailed comments:
“We fully implemented all recommended actions. Having addressed the findings and taken the necessary steps, we regard this matter as resolved. We are now looking ahead to next season.”
More than five parents also publicly supported the decision at the meeting. A handful of those parents sent emails to the Tribune in support of Rudiger.
Ryan Lauer, who referred to the complaints made about Rudiger as “already disproved allegations,” went on to highlight Rudiger’s “winning culture.” Rudiger has connections to college coaches and the club volleyball scene that are attractive to girls who want to play at the next level, Lauer added.
Ali and Wil Thorpe wrote that their daughter was a freshman when initial complaints came forward about Rudiger. But she had a different takeaway than those who reported Rudiger’s behavior: the coach’s passion and support helped their daughter become a stronger player.
“Coach Rudiger goes to great lengths to make sure every player in his entire program feels included and valued,” the Thorpes said. “Our daughter did not feel bullied or attacked; she felt challenged and supported by a passionate coach with whom she has created a tremendous player-coach bond.”
During the investigation, Rudiger also provided Donahue pages of messages from parents, athletes and families who demonstrated “a sincere admiration and appreciation for him and his efforts as the head coach,” the report said.
Rudiger has more than 20 years of experience coaching volleyball in Northern Colorado as a club and high school coach. And no one denies he is good at getting results.
Banks, Bays and the anonymous mother all initially felt optimistic about Rudiger stepping into the head coach position, but eventually felt he cared more about winning than his players’ well-being.
The three mothers accused parents of supporting Rudiger to get their daughters ahead in the program because he “holds the cards to their futures.” And those who went against him faced repercussions, they said.
“You will hear from loving parents, players and colleagues of Jared Rudiger if you haven’t already,” Banks said at a February board meeting. “These people will point to his skill as a coach, and I am delighted for each one of them because it means their experience was not like ours.”
The misconduct goes beyond the former player’s complaints, according to Banks. She said that more than seven girls and their parents wanted to come forward with allegations against Rudiger but were fearful of retaliation.
“When more than seven girls and their parents were too fearful that he would retaliate against them if they spoke up, it tells a story,” Banks said.
Donahue found no evidence that staff have engaged or would engage in retaliation. But his report notes that many athletes, their families and even former coaching staff would not participate in interviews. Some, Donahue wrote, cited fear of retaliation from the University coaching staff and administration.
Allegations of profanity, inappropriate behavior
In addition to Donahue’s findings and recommendations report, the Tribune also obtained a 300-plus-page redacted copy of his full investigative report. The full report revealed additional accusations against Rudiger made by the parents and their players during the investigation, including the male coach openly discussing his players’ menstrual cycles.
At the 2021 end-of-the-season awards banquet, parents and players interviewed by Donahue confirmed, Rudiger told a story in front of the entire volleyball program about asking a girl on the team if she was on her period due to being emotional and having a bad day. Players and parents reported that Rudiger told the story again at the 2022 beginning-of-season parent meeting.
In the full investigative report, Banks’ daughter told Donahue that Rudiger would often “mock” girls who were on their periods, pretending to cry or become emotional.
Rudiger said he “was open to discussing the athletes and any biological cycle or issue they chose to discuss, including menstrual cycles,” Donahue highlighted in his findings and recommendations report. The report said Rudiger did not instigate those conversations, saying he approached any of them the same way he would with his own daughter.
The atmosphere at the program prompted Bays’ daughter, who graduated in May, to quit the volleyball team during her junior year.
“It was one of the best things she did for herself,” Bays said. “I saw her smiling again. Her mental health definitely went in the right direction after leaving University volleyball.”
Bays’ daughter said she was subjected to multiple profanity-laden statements related to her performance and gender, including being called a bitch.
Donahue’s report emphasized that Rudiger denies “ever calling any female athlete or otherwise a ‘bitch.’” And it concludes that, “other than consistent statements from athletes and parents,” there is “no direct evidence” the word was “directed at the girls on the team.”
After the girl quit, Rudiger continued to belittle her to the team and attempted to turn players against her, Bays alleged to the Tribune. Her daughter said players who remained on the team told her that he would frequently say, “Don’t be a loser. Don’t be a quitter. Don’t be a (the girl’s name).”
In all the student-athletes’ interviews conducted by Donahue, Rudiger was called a very intense and focused coach who wanted to win at all costs, the report of findings and recommendations said. The interviewees said he had a poor communication style and would say things that were not appropriate as a coach in a girls’ volleyball program.
“Jared was asked to lower his intensity and be more mindful of his behaviors in the coaching role,” Donahue wrote in the findings and recommendations report. “Jared took this to heart and began working with a life coach in order to help him perform at a higher level of proficiency.”
Wehrman, the athletic director, said Rudiger returned “as a new coach who had a better perspective,” according to the report.
In early April, at his request, the Tribune emailed Rudiger questions regarding the investigation and accusations against him. Despite multiple attempts to receive responses, Rudiger never replied.
Back in April, the mothers also considered filing a lawsuit against the school district over Rudiger’s conduct and contacted attorneys at Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC. The firm declined to represent the families, determining that a lawsuit against the district would be unlikely to overcome the high legal standards that would apply to their claims arising from Rudiger’s conduct.
The attorneys, however, concluded that his conduct was “inappropriate and extreme.”
“In our view, his coaching methods crossed the line from pushing the team appropriately to placing an undue emphasis on winning to the detriment of the physical and mental health of minor children,” the letter said. “It is also clear to us that Mr. Rudiger caused significant emotional distress to some of his players.”
On April 22, Rudiger’s lawyer sent cease-and-desist letters to two families who have been outspoken about his alleged conduct, asking for a full retraction of “defamatory statements.” The families contacted 1st Amendment attorney Steven Zansberg, who advised that the cease-and-desist letters had no merit, noting in a letter to Rudiger’s lawyer that the statements were made by “parents of public school children before boards of education at open public meetings.”
Rudiger has since retracted one of the two cease-and-desist letters because the family moved out of the school district. The parent who chose to remain anonymous still faces the threat of a defamation lawsuit from Rudiger.
As Rudiger steps back into the gym for the 2025-26 volleyball season, Bays and the other mothers question how leaders at University Schools will ensure that the abuse their daughters endured won’t happen to another player. They believe that several items in the investigation’s findings and recommendations report, alone, should prohibit Rudiger from coaching young girls again.
“I am asking you to do better,” Bays said, in tears, at a recent board meeting. “Don’t let this happen to another child.”
