November 15, 2023 – A former San Jose State University (SJSU) Director of Sports Medicine was sentenced on Tuesday in the Northern District of California to 24 months in prison, one year of supervised release, a $15,000 fine and restitution to be determined at a later date for sexually abusing female student-athletes under the guise of providing medical treatment.

As part of the plea agreement, Scott Shaw admitted that, between 2017 and 2020, he violated the civil rights of four students who played on women’s athletics teams by touching their breasts and buttocks without their consent and without a legitimate medical purpose.

“This sentence should send a clear message that public school officials who exploit their positions of authority to sexually abuse and harass students will face serious consequences for their actions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violations of civil rights committed under the guise of legitimate medical treatment by those in positions of power and trust.”

“Scott Shaw was entrusted to care for athletes in the California State University system,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins for the Northern District of California. “Instead, he used his power over female athletes to violate their civil rights by sexually groping them without their consent and without any medical justification. Such criminal assaults on college athletes will be investigated and prosecuted; anyone abusing their power over student athletes in this way should expect to spend time in prison for doing so.”  

According to court documents, from 2008 until August 2020, Shaw served as the Director of Sports Medicine and head athletic trainer at SJSU, a public university that is part of the California State University system, and was an employee of the State of California. His duties included treating injuries sustained by student-athletes at SJSU.

Additionally, Shaw admitted that he engaged in all the conduct described above on SJSU’s campus, and in his capacity as an SJSU athletic trainer, and the student-athletes only allowed him to have physical contact with them because of his status as an SJSU athletic trainer. Shaw also admitted that he touched each of the student-athletes as described above without any legitimate diagnostic or treatment purpose and without seeking or securing their consent in advance. Shaw further admitted that his conduct was not the result of mistake, carelessness, or accident. 

The FBI San Francisco Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Pitman for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorney MarLa Duncan and Attorney Advisor Sarah Howard of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.