University of San Francisco fires baseball coach Nino Giarratano after lawsuit

The University of San Francisco has fired baseball coach Nino Giarratano, who is accused of «persistent psychological abuse and repeated inappropriate sexual conduct» in a recent class-action lawsuit.

The school announced Giarratano's firing Sunday, two days after the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court. USF previously had suspended Giarratano and former assistant coach Troy Nakamura, who also was named in the lawsuit. Nakamura was fired in January.

USF athletic director Joan McDermott cited «new allegations» from the lawsuit and also said in a statement that Giarratano allowed Nakamura on the field this past week.

«When the university first became aware of the complaints by students and families about the environment and behavior of coaches in the baseball program, we immediately conducted an internal investigation that led to the firing of Troy Nakamura and official reprimand of Nino Giarratano,» McDermott said in a statement released by the school.

«The new allegations in the lawsuit as well as Giarratano's recent behavior in allowing Nakamura access to baseball operations is extremely concerning. As a result, we have taken actions to make changes in baseball program leadership.»

The three former players, identified as John Does in the lawsuit, described varying forms of abuse and described a culture in which «it was 'normal' to see [former assistant coach Troy Nakamura] naked on the field or in a window, swinging his penis in a helicopter fashion while the entire team — and [Giarratano] — watched.»

John Doe 1 alleges that Giarratano referred to him using several expletives and repeatedly berated him in an attempt to pressure him to leave the program (he had a significant four-year guaranteed scholarship). He