Dealership yanks Utah State coaches' free cars

A dealership group ended its relationship with Utah State University and took back the courtesy vehicles it had provided to coaches after the school fired its head football coach and three other athletic department employees.

The firings followed a Title IX investigation in connection with a domestic violence charge against a former Utah State football player. Murdock Auto Team, which is based near the university in Logan, Utah, is among several prominent donors that have pulled their support of Aggies athletics in the month since.

"I'm very aware of Murdock's decision," Utah State Athletic Director Diana Sabau told The Salt Lake Tribune. "We're super appreciative for all the years of providing courtesy cars for our head coaches. And it's their business and their decision and we respect that decision. Yeah, it hurts our coaches because now we don't have cars for them."

Sabau, who has been at Utah State for less than a year, on July 3 fired football coach Blake Anderson, Associate Athletic Director Jerry Bovee and the department's director of player personnel and community engagement, citing Title IX reporting violations. She later fired another associate athletic director, former volleyball player Amy Crosbie, for reasons that haven't been made public.

Anderson was accused of contacting the victim and a witness in the domestic violence case and for failing to report the case properly. A group of former and current athletes has asked for an independent investigation on behalf of Bovee and Crosbie, who have filed grievances against Utah State.

Automotive News was unable to reach Murdock Auto co-owners Ben, Tyson and Blake Murdock for comment. The group has seven locations in Utah with franchises from General Motors, Hyundai and Volkswagen.

"I'm hoping that over time maybe we'll get them back involved, and maybe they'll like the direction that we're going," Sabau told the Tribune. "This community, this Utah State campus has had crimes of sexual violence for too long. And, to just continue to allow it to happen, I wouldn't be proud to be associated with that."