Former Harvard Assistant Hufnagel Hired by Nevada

Former Harvard assistant coach Yann Hufnagel, who was fired from the same position at California in March after a university report that he had sexually harassed a reporter, was hired Friday by the University of Nevada for the same role.

Hufnagel, who vehemently denied the allegations against him at Cal, had appealed to the university—turning over a lot of personal information to school investigators in late March an effort to clear his name. However, the former Harvard assistant coach dropped the suit late Thursday before the Nevada athletic department made the announcement the next day.

“The toxic environment at UC Berkeley has made it impossible for Mr. Hufnagel to rejoin the basketball team he loves, even if he is vindicated in full, as the facts show,” Mary McNamara, Hufnagel’s attorney, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “He needs to look out for the student-athletes he coached, as well as his own future. Earlier this morning and after much consideration, he decided it was time to move on.”

Hufnagel, whose public statements sine the allegations were released in mid-March were sparse and largely proclamations of innocence, Tweeted Thursday morning for only the second time in three weeks to announce the move.

“I’m back doing what I love … coaching basketball!”

–Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com.