Stanford University water polo coach Brian Flacks treated Cardinal players disrespectfully, but a former university general counsel attorney found that the treatment did not meet Stanford’s standard of retaliation, according to multiple documents obtained by the Southern California News Group.
Sejal H. Patel, who worked as a senior university counsel in Stanford’s general counsel office before going into private practice in 2024, was retained by the school to April to “investigate claims of retaliation against Coach Flacks,” according to emails sent by Stanford employees and consultants obtained by SCNG.
Flacks, a former Harvard-Westlake School head coach, was the subject of a four-month investigation in 2024 conducted by Kate Weaver Patterson, an attorney and consultant. That investigation, completed in February, did not substantiate the allegations of bullying and abuse against Flacks, according to the university. Stanford has not released the details of its findings or who ultimately decided whether Flacks’ conduct violated university policy and what, if any, measures or policies needed to be implemented following the investigation.
At least 10 people allege that Flacks repeatedly targeted players for verbal and emotional abuse after the conclusion of the Weaver Patterson probe, swearing at them and threatening to cut or significantly reduce the playing time of players allegedly suspected of cooperating with the investigation if they returned for the 2025 season, according to emails and letters to top Stanford officials including university president Jonathan Levin that have been obtained by SCNG.
While the original investigation did not substantiate the allegations of bullying and abuse, Patel was hired after the university’s provost and general counsel offices received multiple allegations that Flacks has threatened and harassed players for comments they made to a consultant hired by the university to conduct the original probe, according to university administrator emails obtained by SCNG as well as interviews.
“So the last three months or two months have just put the (expletive) nail in the coffin for me,” Flacks yelled at a Stanford player in a late February meeting after the initial investigation was completed, according to an account of the meeting.
“You talk (expletive) about me behind my back,” Flacks also said during the meeting in which he raised the possibility of dismissing the player from the team.
Flacks, a whistleblower wrote to the Stanford administration, “has a history of retaliatory behavior against players who question anything about his approach, tactics or treatment of the players.”
Flacks, one whistleblower said, has created “a culture of intimidation, fear and retaliation.”
But Patel “did not substantiate the allegations that the men’s water polo coaching staff retaliated” against players “in violation of Stanford’s Administrative Guide 1.1.1 subsection 10 (e),” according to Stanford documents.
“The University will be taking appropriate action based upon these findings,” according to Stanford documents on the university’s decision.
Subsection 10 (e) of the Stanford guide states, “Stanford policy prohibits retaliation against an individual who in good faith reports or provides information about concerns or suspected violations. Retaliation is an adverse action taken because an individual has made a report or has participated in an investigation. An adverse action is any action that materially affects that individual’s standing or terms and conditions of employment. False accusations made with the intent of harming or retaliating against another person may subject the accuser to disciplinary action.”
Stanford declined to answer a series of questions related to the investigation, including the length and terms of Flacks’ contract with the university.
“After Stanford received claims of retaliation against its men’s water polo coaching staff, the university engaged a neutral, third-party investigator to conduct a thorough investigation, which included interviews with 44 witnesses and a review of more than 1,000 material submissions over a ten-week period,” Stanford said in a statement to SCNG. “Based on a preponderance of the evidence, the claims of retaliation were not substantiated. This investigation follows one earlier this year, also conducted by a third-party investigator; that investigation did not substantiate other claims raised against the head coach.
“While the investigation did not substantiate any claims of retaliation, there was a finding that some behaviors by certain individuals within the water polo program did not meet Stanford’s expectations regarding respectful conduct, both as laid out in Stanford’s Code of Conduct and as a general matter.
“Consequently, the investigator identified recommendations for Coach Flacks, the head coach, to improve team culture as a whole and his own coaching style. Moving forward, Coach Flacks will follow those recommendations and will also work with a professional coach who can provide individualized feedback.
“With the investigations concluded, Coach Flacks and his staff will move forward with the full support of Stanford Athletics leadership, in working with our players and staff to achieve competitive excellence in their sport.”
Stanford did not respond when asked for the name of the professional coach who will work with Flacks or to whom that person will report.
Flacks did not respond to a series of questions from SCNG related to Stanford’s decision and investigation. Instead, he released a statement through a personal spokesperson not employed by the university.
“Over the past nine months, I have faced allegations that challenged the values I’ve upheld throughout my career,” Flacks said in the statement. “I’m grateful to share that the investigations are over.
“The support from current and former players, their families, my coaching staff, and Stanford Athletics has been overwhelming. Most importantly, I want to thank my wife for her unwavering love and strength.
“Moving forward, my focus is clear: to continue building a championship culture at Stanford alongside the most dedicated student athletes in the world. This chapter has only deepened my commitment to our shared values and our goal to educate and compete at the highest level.”
Stanford, on March 1, 2022, posted a job opening for a replacement for retiring Cardinal head coach John Vargas. Vargas, a 1992 Olympian and head coach of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, led the Cardinal to two NCAA titles and seven NCAA finals in his 20 seasons on The Farm.
The posting stated, “To be successful in this role, you will have:
“Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years collegiate or professional coaching experience required. Division I collegiate coaching experience preferred. Strong interpersonal skills in dealing with student-athletes, peers and the general public.”
But Flacks, 37, who had no previous college coaching experience, was named as Stanford’s head coach on March 23, 2022, after what the university described as a “national search.”
Flacks is a graduate of Harvard-Westlake where his mother, Dawn Barrett, was the school’s swimming coach for eight seasons.
Craig Barrett, Barrett’s father and the former Intel CEO, is a member of Stanford’s Founders Circle, signifying donations of at least $1 million to the university.
Flacks is married to former Stanford volleyball player Katherine Sebastian. Sebastian’s grandmother, Mary Ann Heidt, is listed by Stanford as a Founding Grant Society member. Heidt and her late husband John “Jack” Heidt, are also listed as “associate designees” by the school. The distinction is given to “alumni with long standing documented volunteer service (at least 10 years and active within the last five), a record of consistent giving to the university,” according to Stanford.
Flacks coached Harvard-Westlake to four CIF Southern Section division titles in 11 seasons at the school and served as the U.S. youth team head coach and assistant on the U.S. national team staff.
Flacks is 63-18 at Stanford. But his tenure on the Farm has been marked by the Cardinal’s struggle against the sport’s so-called “Big Three,” Cal, UCLA and USC, and a steady turnover on the Stanford roster.
Stanford is 12-16 against the “Big Three” under Flacks.
Of the 33 players eligible to play for Flacks since he arrived at Stanford in 2022 and the completion of the 2024-25 academic year, nearly half of those athletes have either quit or have been dismissed from the team, according to an analysis of Stanford rosters, emails to Stanford officials and interviews with six people with direct knowledge of the investigation.
Among those, 15 players (45.4 percent of eligible players) are All-Americans, and U.S. national and U.S. junior national players.
Five Stanford players on the U.S. junior national team called Flacks as a group from the 2023 World Junior Championships in Romania, where Team USA claimed the bronze medal. The players, exhausted from the tournament and travel, asked Flacks if they could have a brief break from training. Flacks not only said no to the request, he berated and threatened the players if they ever called him as a group again, according to emails and interviews with seven people, including two who were directly involved in the conversation with Flacks.
Of the five players on the World Junior team, only one remains on the Stanford roster, although all five have remaining college eligibility. Two players told Stanford administrators in April that they had been “involuntarily removed from the team.” Both players alleged they had been bullied and retaliated against by Flacks since the conclusion of the Weaver Patterson investigation.
One player with Olympic aspirations walked away from the sport because, “I couldn’t bear to see Flacks,” according to emails and interviews with five people familiar with the situation.
Flacks has increasingly relied on recruiting foreign players. A third of Stanford’s current roster — eight out of 24 players — is made up of foreign athletes.
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