Suspended SSU baseball coach files wrongful termination lawsuit

Sonoma State University and its athletic director are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the school’s longtime baseball coach, alleging that this year he was illegally fired.

John Goeltz filed the lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court on Nov. 7, alleging retaliation, age discrimination and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress resulting in bodily injury.

He is seeking a jury trial and damages to be determined at trial.

Goeltz’s complaint names the university, athletic director Nicole Annaloro and trustees of the Cal State University system.

In response to the lawsuit, campus officials released a statement to The Press Democrat saying, “The university is aware of the lawsuit. We do not comment on pending legal proceedings.”

Goeltz was a baseball head coach for 39 years, leading the team from 1986 until this June, when his contract was not renewed.

“In a misguided and overzealous pursuit of the goal of increasing staff diversity in Sonoma State University’s athletic department,” his complaint states, “Defendants conducted a campaign to purge the department of long-term, older white male employees. and replace them with new, younger, more diverse but less qualified candidates.”

The complaint further alleges that “Defendants retaliated against Plaintiff when he objected to Defendants’ decision to hire an athletic director based not on qualifications and experience, but on the basis of age, gender and race.”

The complaint contains and details the allegations against Goelz previously reported by The Press Democrat in August.

He and his supporters say Annaloro and members of the athletic department created a hostile work environment by trying to get rid of him and repeatedly targeting the baseball program with punishments.

Goeltz argued that a lack of support from the athletic department and school administration over the past decade has hindered the success the team has enjoyed under his leadership.

Geltz is credited with 1,175 of the team’s 1,320 wins in program history. He also earned 10 regular-season conference titles, five conference tournament titles, two NCAA Division II regional championships and two NCAA Division II World Series appearances.

Goeltz says the problems with the baseball program escalated after Annaloro was hired in 2019 — a move Goeltz said he opposed as a member of the hiring committee.

“Defendant Nicole Annaloro waged an elaborate campaign over the years not to renew Plaintiff’s contract as SSU’s baseball coach due to Plaintiff’s age and Coach Goeltz’s strong/vocal opposition to and in retaliation for Plaintiff’s opposition to Nicole Annaloro’s appointment as Athletic Director at SSU “, the complaint states.

Geltz claims he was often written off for minor infractions in an effort to gather reasons to get rid of him. Geltz said, among other things, that he was accused of intimidating players and giving favorable grades to students, which led to poor performance ratings.

Officials gave him a below-average performance rating of 2.65 during 2023-24, according to the complaint. However, the baseball team rated him an above-average 4.1 in all categories.

Annaloro never showed up for baseball practice that season, and “no member of the management team ever discussed their displeasure with plaintiff,” the complaint states.

Goelz was suspended from July to August 2023 for two incidents he called misunderstandings: a fundraising audit discrepancy that was easily corrected and a roster violation during games that were postponed and postponed for several weeks.

“Plaintiff had no prior disciplinary action resulting in lost wages during his 36/37 year tenure until Defendant Annaloro was named SSU’s Athletic Director,” the complaint states.

In August, campus officials released a statement to The Press Democrat saying, “The university is incredibly proud of its student-athletes and all the coaches and staff who support them as they strive to excel in their sports and in the classroom. Dr. Nicole Annaloro’s leadership is based on the pursuit of excellence while fostering an environment where the rights and dignity of others are respected.”

Staff writer Colin Atagi can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi