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Auburn softball coach Eugene Lenti involved in lawsuit from time at Depaul

Alyssa Rivera (21) during the Auburn Softball vs. Alabama State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.
Alyssa Rivera (21) during the Auburn Softball vs. Alabama State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.

After joining Auburn softball as an assistant coach in June 2019, Eugene Lenti is now involved in a lawsuit that stems from his time as the head coach at DePaul, according to multiple media outlets.

The suit was filed in Cook County Circuit court by sports psychologist Jenny Conviser. Conviser said that her contract to counsel DePaul athletes was terminated two years ago after she raised concerns to the athletic department regarding Lenti’s behavior. Conviser began working at DePaul in 2005 and said her contract was renewed for four years in 2017.

Along with the lawsuit, DePaul is accused of violating Title IX rules for failing to report complaints made against Lenti, who allegedly avoided punishment because his sister, Jean Lenti Ponsetto, is Depaul’s athletic director.

"This is a pending legal matter," Auburn University's Office of Communication and Marketing said. "Therefore, Auburn University has no comment at this time."

"We have not yet seen a copy of this complaint, but as a general matter the university does not comment on pending litigation," DePaul's athletic department said in a statement to The Plainsman. 

Conviser said her contract was terminated in April 2018, just a few weeks after an unnamed softball player told one of Conviser’s therapists she saw Lenti punch his associate head coach in the face. Conviser said the player reported it to the Title IX office, which opened an investigation.

It’s unknown what happened with the investigation, but the lawsuit says the investigator improperly disclosed the player’s identity to her teammates, who blamed her for “getting Lenti in trouble.”

In the lawsuit, Conviser said she first became aware of potential issues with Lenti in 2016, when she received reports of the coach using profane language, verbally abusing his players on a regular basis. Conviser reported the allegations but the school “took no steps to individually investigate” the coach for a violation of Title IX protocols. 

Conviser’s lawsuit alleges DePaul covered up the allegations by firing both assistant coaches, including the woman Lenti allegedly hit, following his retirement. 

When the Associated Press reached out to Lenti about the lawsuit, he said, “Yeah, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” and hung up.

The Plainsman will continue to update this story. 


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