Sonoma State University and its athletic director are named in a lawsuit filed by the school’s longtime baseball coach, claiming he was wrongly fired this year.

John Goelz filed a lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court on Nov. 7, alleging retaliation, age discrimination and intentional and negligent emotional distress causing bodily injury.

He is seeking a jury trial and damages to be determined in court proceedings.

Goelz’s complaint names the university, athletic director Nicole Annaloro and California State University System administrators.

In response to the lawsuit, campus officials released a statement to The Press Democrat saying, “The university is aware of the lawsuit. We do not comment on pending litigation.

Goelz was a head baseball coach for 39 years, leading the team from 1986 until June of this year, when his contract was not renewed.

“In a misguided and overzealous pursuit of the goal of increasing the diversity of Sonoma State University’s athletic department staff,” his complaint states, “defendants waged a campaign to purge that department of long-term, older, white and male employees. and replace them with new candidates, younger, more diverse but less qualified.

The complaint goes on to say that “Defendants then retaliated against Plaintiff when he objected to Defendants’ decision to hire an athletic director, not based on qualifications and experience, but on the basis of age, gender and race. »

The complaint includes and expands on Goelz’s allegations previously disclosed to The Press Democrat in August.

He and his supporters claim Annaloro and members of the athletic department created a hostile work environment by trying to get rid of him and repeatedly targeting the baseball program with sanctions.

Goelz argued that the lack of support from the athletic department and school administration over the past decade thwarted the success the team had experienced under his leadership.

Goelz is credited with 1,175 of the team’s 1,320 victories in program history. He also won 10 regular season conference titles, five conference tournament titles, two NCAA Division II regional championships and two NCAA Division II World Series appearances.

Goelz argues that issues surrounding the baseball program intensified after Annaloro’s hiring in 2019 — a decision Goelz said he opposed as a member of a hiring committee.

“Defendant Nicole Annaloro used a calculated campaign over the years to not renew Plaintiff’s contract as SSU baseball coach, due to Plaintiff’s age and the coach’s strong/expressed opposition Goelz and in retaliation for Plaintiff’s opposition to the awarding of the athletic director position to SSU Nicole Annaloro,” the complaint states.

Goelz claims he was often accused of minor violations in an attempt to gather reasons to get rid of him. Goelz said, among other things, he was accused of bullying players and giving favorable grades to those in his classes, leading to poor performance evaluations.

According to the complaint, officials gave him a below-average performance rating of 2.65 during the 2023-24 year. The baseball team, however, gave him an above-average rating of 4.1 in all categories.

Annaloro never showed up for baseball practice that season and “no member of the management team ever expressed their displeasure to plaintiff,” the complaint states.

Goelz was suspended from July to August 2023 for two incidents he described as misunderstandings: an easily corrected discrepancy with a fundraising check and a roster limit violation amid postponed and rescheduled games over several weeks.

“Plaintiff was not subject to any prior disciplinary action resulting in loss of salary during his 36/37 year tenure until Defendant Annaloro was appointed SSU Athletic Director,” the complaint states .

In August, campus officials released a statement to The Press Democrat saying, “The university is incredibly proud of its student-athletes, as well as all of the coaches and staff who support them in their efforts to succeed in their sport and in class. Dr. Nicole Annaloro’s leadership is rooted in a commitment to excellence while fostering an environment where the rights and dignity of others are respected.

You can contact editor Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi