After Blake Anderson was suspended and subsequently fired as head coach of the Utah State football team, he hired well-known sports attorney Tom Mars to defend him, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel.

Utah State announced its intention to terminate Anderson's contract with the school after he was placed on leave following an investigation.

Anderson was fired from the state of Utah because he allegedly failed to comply with Title IX regulations, the university said. In particular, he failed to report sexual misconduct and violence.

Mars is already on the offensive, saying Utah State faces an “uphill battle” with its claim to be able to fire Anderson for cause.

The well-known lawyer also said that the real blame may lie with the administrators who supervised Anderson and were also fired from the school.

“Cheating a head coach by blaming him for what his superior should have done is a novel approach, but that theory will never hold up in court,” Mars said, according to Thamel.

Utah State's announcement explained how the school came to its decision to part ways with Anderson.

“This decision came after a thorough external review of alleged noncompliance with university policies implementing Title IX, which require full and timely reporting of cases of sexual misconduct – including domestic violence – and prohibit employees from investigating cases of sexual misconduct themselves,” Utah State said.

(Thamel)

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