Michigan Women's Gymnastics Coach Allegedly Had Public Sexual Contact with Team Member

Steve Helling
Updated
Michigan Gymnastics Coach Accused of Sexual Contact with Gymnast

A University of Michigan assistant women’s gymnastics coach has been accused of having sexual contact in public with an 18-year-old gymnast on the team.

Scott Vetere, 39, and an 18-year-old student were arrested on the morning of Oct. 8. According to a police report first obtained by MLive, an officer allegedly saw the pair having sexual contact in a parked car outside an Ann Arbor apartment complex. Both were cited with a misdemeanor charge of indecent or obscene conduct in public, PEOPLE confirms.

Vetere “was immediately suspended the day we learned about the incident,” Kurt Svoboda, a spokesman for the school, told the Detroit Free Press. “He resigned from his position Oct. 15 during the disciplinary review process.”

According to the University of Michigan’s athletic department policy, coaches are not permitted to have romantic relationships with student-athletes.

The female gymnast, who PEOPLE is not identifying due to Vetere’s position of authority, is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 5. It is unclear whether she has faced disciplinary action from the university or team. A spokesperson for the university did not immediately return PEOPLE’s call for comment.

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According to court records, Vetere will appear in court Nov. 14 for a pretrial hearing. He has not yet entered a plea and court records do not reflect whether he has hired an attorney. PEOPLE could not immediately reach him for comment.

Under Ann Arbor city code, indecent or obscene conduct in public is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Vetere, who is married with three daughters, was a 10-time NCAA All-American gymnast. He was also a member of Michigan’s 1999 national championship team. In 2000, he was named the university’s Male Athlete of the Year. He was named as an assistant coach for the women’s gymnastics team in July 2017.

The school has now severed all ties with Vetere. “We are confident this was an isolated incident and that with his departure, it will not be repeated,” Svoboda tells MLive. “We do very thorough background searches for every employee here.”