Missouri State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford was accused of groping a woman at a September golf tournament and is part of an ongoing criminal investigation in Polk County.
An incident report obtained from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office indicates Ford is under investigation for sexual misconduct. No criminal charges have been filed.
In a statement Thursday evening through his attorney Joe Passanise, Ford said the allegations were untrue, adding that he was paired with other participants during the golf tournament who did not corroborate the woman’s account of what happened.
Missouri State said in a statement to the Springfield News-Leader that it was made aware of the allegations against Ford in September.
“We have taken these allegations seriously,” the statement said. “Given the nature of the allegations, they were immediately assigned to the university’s Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) for investigation. Following an initial investigation, the claims were unsubstantiated based on available evidence. The university has no further comment at this time.”
The accuser and her boyfriend, two recent Missouri State graduates, recently spoke to the News-Leader on the condition of anonymity. It is in the News-Leader’s policy to not name victims of sexual assault if they do not wish to be publicly identified.
Missouri State Head Coach Dana Ford as the Bears took on the Belmont Bruins at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo by Nathan Papes/USA Today Network)
The woman said the event took place at Silo Ridge Golf & Country Club on Sept. 8 in Bolivar during the Cash Moore Foundation Tournament. Text messages and location data shared by the victim indicate she was there on the day of the event.
The woman said she was standing on the back of a golf cart with Ford, who she said was intoxicated, sitting inside the cart. She said Ford reached back and grabbed her breasts before making a comment about her sweatshirt concealing her breasts. The woman said she then ran off in tears.
Following the tournament, the woman said, she contacted Missouri State University’s Title IX office, which handles complaints of sexual harassment involving students or employees. Emails provided by the accuser to the News-Leader confirm she communicated with Missouri State’s Title IX coordinator Melissa Berry.
The accuser said the majority of her interactions with the university’s Title IX office took place over the…
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