Four former softball players now refute Lenti lawsuit allegations, Conviser’s legal team “stands by their facts”
The DePaul bench celebrates a hit during a Feb. 9 game against Green Bay at the Total Control Sports Invitational. The Blue Demons went on to win game 10-1.
There are now four former DePaul softball players who have come forward to deny allegations of abuse by former softball coach Eugene Lenti laid out in a lawsuit filed in April.
Morgan Maize, who played under Lenti from 2012-16 and was a coach on the team from 2017-18, emailed The DePaulia Wednesday night to deny all the allegations against her former coach. She told The DePaulia that the “entire team begged” to have their voices heard when the first lawsuit was filed in April, but they were denied by the lawyers on the “opposite end.”
Angela Scalzitti, who played under Lenti from 2015-2018, emailed The DePaulia Thursday to do the same.
Maize refuted the allegation that Lenti pushed his associate head coach, Lindsay Platt, in the face in 2018, saying her exit from DePaul was “entirely planned out” following maternity leave and that the team knew about it before Winter Break — and that they were told the new coach would like to pick their own coaching staff, offering an explanation for the rest of the staff’s departure after Lenti’s 2018 retirement.
“That is the first instance where this lawsuit is falsified information,” Maize wrote in the email. “Eug did not put his hands on Lindsay or any of his coaching staff or players and she did not get ‘pushed’ off the staff. As a member of the DePaul softball team for four years as a player and then one as a coach I can say this with 100 percent certainty.”
Platt has not responded to The DePaulia’s multiple requests for comment.
Scalzitti echoed Maize’s refutation.
“The notion that he ‘punched one of his assistant coaches in the face’ is completely ridiculous,” Scalzitti said in an email. “When you are on a team of 20 or so girls nothing can be kept a secret. If one of my teammates witnessed an incident like that, it would have spread across our team like wildfire.”
Conviser claims that as a mandated reporter of Title IX issues, she shared details of Lenti’s alleged abuse — including calling female softball players “f—–g whores” and punching their bodies — with the athletic department, and the office did not conduct an independent investigation of his behavior. If true, this would be a violation of Title IX, which says that immediate action, independent of law enforcement, must be taken by universities upon receiving notice of sexual violence or harassment.
Both Scalzitti and Maize dispute the allegation that Lenti verbally abused his players.
“Not once did I ever hear him call a player on my team a ‘f—— whore,’” Scalzitti said. “As a player, I would never willingly choose to stick around a program that made me feel unsafe and worthless.”
“He built us up as females, made sure we had one another (our sisterhood he called it) and made us believe we are powerful,” Maize wrote in the email. “That language is disgusting and something I as a player and coach would have known about and spoken up about. So once again I am refuting with 100% certainty that this ever happened. The years that the supposed incidents occurred I was there, I was present and these claims have no validity.”
The legal team for sports psychologist Dr. Jenny Conviser, who sued DePaul in April alleging verbal and physical abuse of players and assistant coaches by Lenti, says they “stand by their facts.”
“Our lawsuit is based on a player patient reporting that this event happened and our client encouraging her to participate in the title ix reporting system,” said Michael Popok, Conviser’s lawyer, in an email. “That the evenT (sic) was true or not is not relevant (although it obviously is true since they fired lenti off of it). What matters is that the reporting student athlete believed it was true and reported it to the title ix office setting of the retaliation.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Michael Patrick • Jul 17, 2020 at 7:30 am
The truth shall set you free!
Now we have four former DePaul Softball players, from the time in question, 2016 – 2018, who have refuted all the allegations made against their former coach, Eugene Lenti. These collective statements are very powerful and paint Eugene Lenti in a respectful, yet sympathetic, light. However, the smoking gun is missing : none of these former players have acknowledged being or knowing the student – athlete who observed the alleged assault on Ms. Platt.
It saddens me that DePaul University’s President, Gabriel Esteban, didn’t have the rudimentary wisdom to investigate this situation two years ago. The players wanted to meet with him. He refused. ( Well, what do you expect ladies? He’s a professional student with no non – education, business – or common sense – experience. His expertise is memorizing books.) Clearly, Mr. Esteban is no Fr. John Richardson. that’s for certain!
Regarding Jennifer Conviser’s case, one thing is very clear to me: Mr. Michael Popok; Esq., has made a major shift in tone stating, “that the event was true or not is irrelevant.” Wow! I cannot believe he said that – in writing nonetheless. He destroyed Eugene Lenti’s character and reputation, yet he doesn’t feel it is relevant if these criminal allegations were true or not. IT IS!
In the same statement, Mr. Popok made it crystal that Eugene Lenti did not voluntarily retire. He was terminated. As Mr. Popok stated, “although it (allegations) obviously is true since they fired Lenti off it.” If Mr. Popok’s assertions is correct, why did Mr. Esteban and DePaul’s Human Resources Office permit Eugene Lenti to play pick -up basketball games on its Lincoln Park Campus after termination? If what Mr. Popok says is true, then why didn’t DePaul and Mr. Esteban protect its student -athletes? This case has so many twists and turns. Who are we to believe???
It is disconcerting to me that the former assistant coach who was allegedly punched in the face, Lindsay Platt, ” (she) has not responded to The DePaulia’s multiple requests for comment. “To be clear, Ms. Platt is under no obligation to respond to The DePaulia. She’s long gone. However, a statement from her, one way or the other, would clarify so many of the public mysteries in this case. If she denies anything happened, then this case is of no public interest. It is a whistleblower complaint, which is still significant, but it take Eugene Lenti out of the limelight and he moves on with his life.
I stand by what I observed 30 + years ago, yet these former players have painted a very fatherly, loving picture of Eugene Lenti. He would never talk disparagingly to them, I conclude. However, all Mr. Popok, Esq. has to do – and has – is Google Eugene Lenti’s name and there are alarming posts. For instance, in 2011, SB Nation reported USF forfeited its game against DePaul Softball after its coach pulled his team from the field over “safety and welfare” concerns. The article went on to state a witness alleged Eugene Lenti threated to hit a USF player the next time she was up to bat. The player ran off the field crying. Was this a misquote by the paper, who knows. Yet again, in 2013, Eugene Lenti’s own daughter, Ali, is quoted in DNAinfo.com discussing her father’s coaching “tactics” stating, ” (he) can be the nicest guy, or if he’s unhappy, he can be one of the worst people to deal with.” So I don’t take this out of context, but lawyers most certainly will, please read the article for yourself. It sounded relatively innocent back then, yet Mr. Popok might use episodes like this to establish a stronger case – if nobody with direct knowledge speaks up,
The DePaulia has failed here, too. They have refused to investigate the allegations fully. They failed to report its findings, if any, with DePaul Public Safety and the Chicago Police Department. Were these criminal allegations ever investigated? If not, report it. They haven’t. This is Investigative Journalism 101.
As of today, this case is getting to look like a dirty, workplace – separation issue. If Ms. Conviser was fired because she was a whistleblower, then that MAY have nothing to do with Eugene Lenti. Certainly, if she was retaliated against, then yes, this is no longer a petty case: IT’S HUGE!
Mr. Esteban has proven he is not the right person to lead DePaul University in 2020 and beyond. I’m sure he will do the right thing and resign.
To the former softball players who have come forward, I say, thank you! You are very courageous for telling the truth. Although none of you are the “witness,” you have changed the tone of this conversation. You can be proud that you told the truth.
Unless there are new, concrete facts, this case is no longer of public interest. I hope The DePaulia does its job and ties all the loose ends and publishes an objective report. It is only fair to Eugene Lenti and the young women who were alleged to be directly involved in this case.
Stay safe and heathy!
Lydia • Jul 12, 2020 at 6:13 am
The City of Chicago and the DePaul Board of Trustees should answer for this.
Lydia • Jul 11, 2020 at 9:15 pm
Sorry spell check issue. Vincentian.
Lydia • Jul 11, 2020 at 9:00 pm
This is qrotesque. DePaul supposedly is a Venetian higher education institution concerned with the poor but takes from inner city school children and mental health facilities for its arena that sits empty? I’m done. You have to answer to God and hopefully donors.
Robert a former donor • Jul 11, 2020 at 6:43 pm
Well, at least this Conviser lawsuit has shed light on the Wintrust corruption and that DePaul spent 82M on it when the Wintrust executive who negotiated the deal for Wintrust is the sister in law of the DePaul athletic director. From what I read neither disclosed that and bids from other companies were not taken. Wintrust executives are on the DePaul board of trustees.
DePaul is getting known as MobsterU and I see why. Are donors aware of what the hell is happening? Someone should call John Kass. Journalists knew something was wrong early on:
http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2019/01/rahms-wintrust-arena-is-monument-to.html