Evansville Basketball

A former University of Evansville student filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing Walter McCarty, the school's former men's basketball coach, of sexual assault and alleging the university failed to provide a safe environment.

Chad Lindskog of the Evansville Courier & Press reported McCarty, who was fired in January 2020 following an investigation into sexual impropriety, denied the allegations. Results of the prior investigation were never publicly released.

"It's untrue, and I can't wait for the evidence to present itself that it's a totally fabricated story," McCarty told Lindskog. "I've never assaulted anyone in my 47 years on this Earth. It's disheartening that someone would make up a lie to gain financial rewards."

The former student, listed as Jane Doe in the Title IX lawsuit, also worked as an athletic trainer at Evansville. She alleged McCarty sent her inappropriate messages via Instagram, Snapchat and text before pressuring her to come to his house, per Lingskog.

She visited his home Dec. 9, 2019, and the lawsuit says McCarty sexually assaulted her by touching her breasts and buttocks and digitally penetrating her. Attorneys for the woman said her allegations were reported to a campus counselor three days later.

The lawsuit, which says the school knew of at least seven other complaints against McCarty, said the former student has experienced "severe stress, academic setbacks and threats of retaliation." She's seeking an unspecified amount of financial compensation.

Doe released a statement in coordination with the lawsuit being filed:

"The female students and employees who experienced this pattern of harassment and sexual misconduct are real people, real women who simply wanted a safe environment to learn and work in, and our university failed us. I am heartbroken that my school knew about Coach McCarty's misconduct before what happened to me, and looked the other way. I will continue to go through this difficult process of holding the university accountable, because I want to prevent other women from going through the same thing I did."

The University of Evansville also released a statement to Lindskog, saying it "disputes the legal claims from Jane Doe and her attorney. The University is confident it responded appropriately to all reports of misconduct regarding Mr. McCarty based on information it actually knew at the time; the University is similarly confident it responded reasonably to Jane Doe's report."

McCarty, 47, was hired by Evansville in March 2018 after 11 years as an assistant coach at Louisville and with the NBA's Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.

As a player, he won an NCAA championship with Kentucky in 1996 before playing 10 NBA seasons with the Celtics, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.

He's a native of Evansville, Indiana, and returned to his hometown for his first head coaching job.

An arrest warrant has been issued for former University of Evansville men's basketball coach Walter McCarty after he didn't appear for a court hearing Thursday and also missed an Aug. 20 hearing, per Chad Lindskog of the Evansville Courier and Press.

McCarty, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, was sued by Old National Bank in March after he reportedly "defaulted on a $75,000 'private select line of credit' created in October 2018, according to court records."

Judge Robert Tornatta ruled in May that McCarty had to pay $77,540.77 in restitution to Old National Bank. He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday to talk about options for paying back that amount. 

He is also due in the Vanderburgh Superior Court on Nov. 20 after defaulting on a $45,000 loan from Oct. 2018 that he took out with the First Federal Savings Bank. 

McCarty, 46, played for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers during his time in the NBA. He then spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers and Celtics before taking over as the Evansville head coach in March 2018. 

Evansville went 20-25 in parts of two seasons with McCarty as head coach before he was fired in January amid a Title IX investigation. A female Evansville student accused him of sexual assault and hired the Simpson Tuegel Law Firm to "investigate and represent her in a potential action against the coach and the university."

A woman who said former Evansville men's basketball coach Walter McCarty sexually assaulted her has retained an attorney to represent her for a potential lawsuit.

"This was the classic power imbalance," attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel said Wednesday, per Jill Lyman of 14News. "He was the town sweetheart, grew up in Evansville, returned after a successful NBA career and coached the basketball team to national success. When McCarty saw that the victim was in too vulnerable a position to protest his behavior toward her, he assaulted her. Thankfully, she reached out to a friend for support and the assault was reported to the university."

Evansville fired McCarty in December amid allegations of impropriety, specifically in regard to Title IX violations but didn't specify the nature of those violations. The school said in a statement it warned McCarty regarding his behavior last year.

"Last year, the University had issued warnings to Mr. McCarty regarding inappropriate off-court behavior with members of our campus community," the statement read. "Mr. McCarty also participated in training concerning acceptable behavior under Title IX.

"While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately."

No criminal charges have been filed. It's unclear if police were contacted about the alleged assault. Tuegel said her client is not the only woman McCarty allegedly assaulted. 

"It's clear that my client wasn't the only victim," Tuegel said. "We have been informed that other women have come forward about McCarty's sexual misconduct. It's important that other survivors of this man's acts know that they're not alone, and we would encourage them to reach out to someone to report the misconduct. These women deserve to learn and work in an environment free of sexual violence and sexual harassment. My client asks that the community remain supportive of the men's basketball team, as well as the additional survivors who have come forward."

McCarty, who previously spent a decade in the NBA, was in this second season at Evansville. He previously served as an assistant coach with Louisville, the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. 

The University of Evansville fired Walter McCarty as its men's basketball coach Tuesday, according to a statement released by the school (via the Courier & Press' Chad Lindskog). 

The school had placed McCarty on administrative leave Dec. 26 as it conducted a Title IX investigation.

"There is no place at UE for any behavior by any University employee or student that jeopardizes the safety and security of others," Evansville said in the statement. "While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately."

Shortly after firing McCarty, Evansville announced that it hired Todd Lickliter as his permanent replacement.

The nature of the allegations against McCarty remains unclear. In announcing his leave, the school said it had "received a troubling report about Coach McCarty's interactions with a member of the campus community."

Evansville also confirmed Tuesday it discovered more allegations of misconduct against the 45-year-old since launching its investigation.

McCarty won a national championship as a player at Kentucky in 1996 before moving on to the NBA. The No. 19 pick in the 1996 draft, he spent 10 years in the league. 

He began his coaching career as an assistant at Louisville in 2007 and was an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics before getting his chance at Evansville in March 2018.

The Aces went 11-21 in his first season but got off to a great start in his second year. They upset No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 12 on the road in Lexington.

Evansville was 9-4 before McCarty went on leave and has lost all six games since interim coach Bennie Seltzer took over.

The University of Evansville has placed men's basketball coach Walter McCarty on administrative leave during a Title IX investigation. 

Chad Lindskog of the Evansville Courier & Press reported the news Friday, noting the school "received reports about McCarty's off-court behavior, including an incident that appeared to violate its Title IX policy."

Evansville president Chris Pietruszkiewicz wrote an internal letter to staff explaining the decision.

"The University has received reports of unwelcome conduct by Coach McCarty since his arrival in March 2018," he wrote. "We have counseled him about his behavior. In the last two weeks, the University received a troubling report about Coach McCarty's interactions with a member of the campus community. We have placed Coach McCarty on leave while that incident is being investigated."

Lindskog noted Pietruszkiewicz's letter linked to the university's sexual harassment and misconduct policy.

Evansville also said it will not release any information on the investigation, which is being conducted by a national law firm, while it is underway.

This is McCarty's second season as the head coach for the Purple Aces. He went 11-21 in his first season and was off to a 9-4 start this season prior to being placed on administrative leave. McCarty also played 10 seasons in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.

Assistant Bennie Seltzer will be the interim head coach for Evansville, which plays its next game Tuesday at Missouri State.