A civil lawsuit against a former University of Nebraska women’s basketball coach took a significant turn after new court filings revealed that he has now admitted, under oath, to having a sexual relationship with a former player — a complete reversal of his original position.
Chuck Love, who served as an assistant coach for the Nebraska women’s basketball program, made the admission during a deposition on February 5, 2026, according to documents filed by attorney Maren Chaloupka, who represents former player Ashley Scoggin. The acknowledgment marks the first time Love has confirmed the relationship since Scoggin filed her civil lawsuit following her removal from the team in 2022.
A relationship rooted in a power imbalance
According to the court documents, the relationship did not develop between equals. Filings indicate that Love took a particular interest in Scoggin, who is originally from Oregon, and that the dynamic created a situation in which she feared professional consequences if she did not comply with his advances. The implication at the heart of the legal argument is straightforward: a coach holds enormous power over a player’s standing, playing time and future prospects, and that authority was allegedly used to pressure Scoggin into a relationship she did not freely choose.
Chaloupka argued in filings that the situation represents a clear abuse of authority, framing the core principle as one that should need no elaboration — that a coach in a position of responsibility over a student-athlete should not be engaging in a sexual relationship with that person.
How the relationship came to light
Scoggin’s time at Nebraska came to an abrupt end mid-season after teammates reportedly discovered her in Love’s hotel room. Rather than triggering a formal investigation or protective action on her behalf, the discovery led to her dismissal from the team — an outcome her lawsuit argues reflects a fundamental failure of institutional responsibility.
The complaint filed by Scoggin paints a damaging picture of how university officials responded to the situation. Rather than prioritizing the welfare of a student-athlete who was allegedly being exploited by someone in a direct position of authority over her, the lawsuit contends that school leadership was primarily motivated by a desire to avoid embarrassment to the women’s basketball program. Scoggin, in that framing, was treated as a liability rather than a victim.
The university’s role at the center of the lawsuit
The legal action does not target Love alone. It names university officials and athletic leadership as parties who bore a responsibility to protect Scoggin and failed to act on it. The complaint argues that institutional self-interest — specifically the protection of the program’s reputation — overrode the basic duty of care owed to a student who was allegedly being subjected to coercion by a member of the coaching staff.
That allegation, if it holds up in court, raises serious questions not only about what Nebraska officials knew and when, but about the culture and oversight structures that allowed the relationship to develop and go unaddressed for as long as it did.
What comes next
Love’s admission under oath significantly alters the legal landscape of the case. His original denial had been a central point of contention, and his reversal removes one of the key lines of defense available to those named in the suit. With that acknowledgment now part of the official record, the focus of the proceedings is likely to shift more squarely onto what university leadership knew, how they responded and whether their handling of the situation met any reasonable standard of care for a student in Scoggin‘s position.
The case has not yet gone to trial, and the university has not released a detailed public response to the updated filings.
Source: Jang News