A former UC Berkeley softball pitcher has sued ex-head coach Chelsea Spencer, alleging she was coerced into a sexual relationship and then punished when she tried to end it.
The anonymous player, who joined the Bears as a pitcher in 2023, filed suit against both Spencer and the University of California last week. The complaint claims Spencer, 37, began making advances almost immediately after the player’s arrival, with daily calls and texts about personal topics. The coach allegedly told her, “You’re so beautiful” and “Your girlfriend is so lucky.”
Those compliments came with stakes attached, according to the lawsuit. Lawyers for the former player said her playing time fluctuated based on how she responded to Spencer’s inquiries, making the coach’s attention impossible to ignore without career consequences.
The relationship allegedly escalated in May 2024 during a team trip, when the two ended up in a hotel room together. The player described the intimacy as “mutual” in the filing, but emphasized the power imbalance at play. “Keeping Spencer emotionally satisfied was necessary not only to protect [her] own position and playing opportunities, but also to keep the team functioning,” the complaint stated.
About a year later, the player decided to end the relationship. That choice allegedly triggered retaliation. Before a game, Spencer confronted her and declared, “You’re not pitching,” according to the lawsuit.
The fallout extended beyond one missed start. The lawsuit claims several school officials, including the associate athletics director, knew about the relationship yet failed to remove Spencer. Instead, the player herself was removed from the team and missed her senior season. She subsequently left campus to finish her degree through online study, effectively ending her softball career.
Michael Carney, an attorney with the law firm Slater Slater Schulman representing the ex-player, framed the case as a systemic failure. “Student athletes at our institutions, they shouldn’t have to choose between resisting a coach or someone else with a large power imbalance over them, and on the other hand protecting their own athletic and educational future,” he said.
Spencer, a former UC Berkeley softball star who became head coach in 2020, had led the Bears to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2023 to 2025. She signed a contract extension last year before abruptly resigning, telling Berkeleyside at the time that she needed to “prioritize my mental health and my family.” She was married to an assistant coach on the same staff and had two children, according to a 2024 social media post.
The former coach offered a brief response when contacted about the lawsuit. “Claims will be addressed in the appropriate legal processes,” she told Berkeleyside. A UC Berkeley spokesperson declined to comment to the outlet.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from both the University of California and Spencer individually. The complaint alleges the school had multiple opportunities to intervene but chose to protect the coach rather than the student-athlete.
Spencer’s resignation last year had raised eyebrows in college softball circles given the timing alongside the contract extension and the program’s recent success. The lawsuit now offers a potential explanation for the sudden departure.
The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of power dynamics between coaches and athletes in collegiate sports, particularly in programs where scholarship decisions and playing time rest with a single authority figure.