Connected to not one, not two, but as many as three separate victims alleging sexual misconduct, former Wisconsin senior associate athletic director John Chadima has finally broken his silence in response to a recent report documenting the alleged incidents.
In an email sent to media outlets, Chadima’s lawyer, Charles Giesen, responded to the allegations against Chadima, which started when the UW AD grabbed a male student-employee’s crotch during a Rose Bowl party.
That incident kick-started another investigation on Jan. 30 of reported misconduct by Chadima against a former UW player. Initially, details were scarce, but a report released on March 12 documents the former player was driven to Chadima’s home and became uncomfortable when Chadima made inappropriate comments directed to the player.
Upon arriving at Chadima’s home, the former player locked himself in a bathroom and waited “a couple of hours” before leaving the house.
The report also documents the allegations made by a third victim. An initial report of a third set of allegations came just days after the second investigation. UW coach Bret Bielema and athletic director Barry Alvarez denied any knowledge of Chadima’s alleged behavior prior to the allegations.
However, Chadima was not charged in either case and Giesen noted in his statement “after an exhaustive investigation the interim chancellor’s committee concluded there were not ‘any other allegations of sexual impropriety or abuse of authority by John Chadima.'"
Of course, a defense statement wouldn’t be complete without some lawyer cushioning.
“It is regrettable that the university has given the weight it did to these anonymous allegations,” Giesen said. “It is implausible to believe that a 20-something former college football player would cower and lock himself in a bathroom because of a claimed fear of a 5-foot, 9-inches tall, 170-pound 45-year-old man who was supposedly intoxicated.”
Chadima himself took a softer approach to the whole situation, offering up the following comments:
“Throughout this ordeal, the countless messages of support and encouragement from family, friends and former colleagues during this most trying time in my life have been overwhelming.
“The words have fueled my commitment to seek help through counseling, in particular for alcohol, stress management and especially faith-based guidance.
“The personal losses I have incurred the past several months have been balanced by the outpouring of support from so many members of the Badger family. For that support, I am eternally grateful.”
Chadima resigned on Jan. 6 after being placed on administrative leave.