Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun was accused of sexual discrimination by a former associate athletic director at the University of Saint Joseph, where Calhoun has worked since 2018.
Jaclyn Piscitelli alleged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court violations of Title IX. Her attorneys say she was fired in June after complaining that Calhoun turned the athletic department into “a boys club” when he was hired to coach the school’s newly formed men’s basketball team.
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The University of Saint Joseph, a small Division III Catholic school, began admitting men in 2018.
Piscitelli alleged that Calhoun, who coached at Connecticut from 1986 to 2012, once called her “hot” and forced him to perform menial tasks, including opening the door to his office for him.
“There was an instance in which Calhoun knocked a number of single-serve coffee 'K-cups' onto the floor and stepped on them, creating a mess of coffee grounds and packaging on the floor and made plaintiff clean them up, stating that if he made such a mess at home, his wife would clean up after him,” the lawsuit alleges.
Piscitelli also alleged she was belittled by members of the athletic department. She claimed they would “frequently leave work to play golf with Calhoun during the workday.”
Calhoun, 77, is not named as the defendant in the lawsuit. He has not commented on the allegations.
Piscitelli is seeking reinstatement, back pay and other unspecified monetary damages.
The school said in a statement it does not comment on pending litigation.
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Calhoun left Connecticut in 2012 after winning three men’s basketball national championships. He returned to coach after battling stomach cancer because he said he liked the idea of starting the program from scratch.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.