Assistant women’s basketball coach Carla Berry reportedly told University officials about former coach Pokey Chatman’s alleged inappropriate relationship with a former player, according to an early Monday morning ESPN.com article citing unnamed “multiple sources.”
Details continue to surface after Chatman unexpectedly resigned Wednesday – only days before the NCAA tournament bids were to be announced.
According to an Associated Press article Monday, Chatman was not allowed to be alone with any players after Berry reported in February the alleged inappropriate conduct.
The reports came as a surprise to a former LSU player who played during Chatman’s tenure as head coach.
The player, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Daily Reveille on Monday night that she was “shocked” by initial reports stating Chatman may have had an inappropriate relationship and was further surprised to hear that Berry reported the alleged incident.
Berry and Chatman played as Tigers together under former head coach Sue Gunter, and both played on the Southeastern Conference championship team in 1991. Berry joined the LSU staff in 1999.
“[Chatman and Berry] were close,” the former player said. “They were great friends. It’s unfortunate that it had to come to this. It was a great relationship as far as I could see.”
The former player said she “never saw any boundaries crossed” and never observed inappropriate conduct from Chatman.
“If there was anything going on … it was very well kept,” the former player said.
The former player said eating dinner with coaches was a somewhat normal occurrence but said players knew it was generally not appropriate to go to any coach’s residence.
“I think it’s OK as long as [the coach’s] relationship with a player is spontaneous … like randomly taking to dinner … and not like a consistent thing,” the former player said.
Michael Bonnette, sports information director, told The Daily Reveille after Monday night’s NCAA selection show gathering that he had “no knowledge” of the reports indicating Berry as a whistle-blower.
Bonnette said Berry was with the team at the selection show gathering, where it was announced that LSU will travel to Austin, Texas, in the first round to play the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Interim head coach Bob Starkey fielded questions after the announcement although Starkey and the players generally avoided questions concerning Chatman or Berry.
“Coach Berry is very well-respected by our players and certainly by me, and she’ll continue to be a positive part of the program,” Starkey said.
The former player said she has been in contact with current LSU players and thinks they will “find a way to overcome” the adversity. She said Starkey is “one of the greatest assistant coaches ever” and is “really pulling for him” to perform well in the NCAA tournament.
But the former player said she is also concerned with Chatman’s emotional well-being.
“I know how much she loves… or did… love LSU,” the former player said. “I really feel sorry for her. That’s just a crazy situation. No one is going to remember that she took LSU to the Final Four three years in a row. She’s just going to be remembered for one negative thing.”
—–Contact Amy Brittain [email protected]