A former softball player at the University of California, Berkeley accused an ex-coach of pushing her into a sexual relationship and punishing her for ending it, according to a bombshell lawsuit.
The allegations from the anonymous player target Chelsea Spencer, who had abruptly resigned from the position last year, as well as the school for allegedly failing to remove Spencer after being notified of the relationship.
In the lawsuit, the player claimed Spencer made advances on her not too long after the player joined the softball team as a pitcher in 2023.
The coach would call and text her every day about personal topics and give compliments such as “You’re so beautiful” and “Your girlfriend is so lucky,” the complaint alleged.
Those conversations mattered, lawyers for the former player said. Her playing time would increase or decrease depending on how the player responded to Spencer’s inquiries, the allegations said.
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Spencer’s advances allegedly escalated in May 2024 when the two ended up in a hotel room together during a team trip. The intimacy was “mutual,” the player alleged, but there was a power dynamic in play.
“Keeping Spencer emotionally satisfied was necessary not only to protect [her] own position and playing opportunities, but also to keep the team functioning,” the complaint said.
About a year later, the ex-player decided to end the relationship. That allegedly led to an argument between the two before a game, in which Spencer allegedly said, “You’re not pitching.”
Several school officials, including the associate athletics director, knew about the relationship, the lawsuit claimed. But instead of Spencer’s removal, the player herself was removed and missed her senior season, it added.
According to the lawsuit, that removal effectively ended her softball career and led her to leave campus to study online for the rest of her degree.
“Student athletes at our institutions, they shouldn’t have to choose between resisting a coach or someone else with a large power imbalance over them, and on the other hand protecting their own athletic and educational future,” said Michael Carney, with the law firm Slater Slater Schulman, which is representing the ex-player.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the University of California and Spencer.
The former coach, who had resigned to “prioritize my mental health and my family,” told Berkeleyside that “claims will be addressed in the appropriate legal processes.” A UC Berkeley spokesperson declined comment to the outlet.
Spencer is a former UC Berkeley softball star who became the head coach in 2020. She led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament from 2023 to 2025, and even had signed a contract extension last year.
Spencer was married to an assistant coach on the same team and had two kids, according to a 2024 post.
