The San Jose City Council commended Steve O’Brien and Sage Hopkins on Tuesday for their roles in advocating for student-athlete victims of sexual harassment by Scott Shaw, former San Jose State director of sports medicine. 

O’Brien and Hopkins accepted the commendation during the city council meeting and restated their support for victims.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and district 7 councilmember Maya Esparza welcomed O’Brien and Hopkins, including their families, thanking them for risking career and personal opportunities to defend victims whose allegations were ignored by university administrators for years.

“I really wanted to acknowledge their leadership, their integrity and their sacrifices,” Esparza said in an interview before the commendation. “It was very important to me and the city council that we show that we respect and value whistleblowers, people that stand up and do the right thing.”

Shaw was SJSU’s director of sports medicine from 2008 until his August 2020 resignation.

Hopkins, swimming and diving head coach, notified university officials of sexual harassment allegations by Shaw from more than a dozen swimming and diving athletes in 2009, according to a Sept. 21 Department of Justice report. 

​​The Justice Department stated in its report that “SJSU failed for more than a decade” to address sexual misconduct allegations against Shaw.

The department and the university reached a $1.6 million agreement to remedy the Title IX violations.

As part of the settlement, SJSU offered $125,000 to each of the 23 individuals who reported sexual harassment from Shaw. 

The resolution agreement also required SJSU President Mary Papazian to provide a written statement of appreciation to Hopkins.

“I appreciate her acknowledgement that I had done the right thing,” Hopkins said in an interview at city hall.

O’Brien, former deputy athletic director at the time of the 2009 investigation, was fired shortly after refusing to discipline Hopkins, according to a Sept. 17, 2020 USA Today article. 

O’Brien and Hopkins independently filed lawsuits against university administrators for retaliation in August 2020 and March 2021 respectively.

“To the student athletes, I’m incredibly sorry for the abuse you suffered and the uphill battle you faced to remedy and end the situation,” O’Brien said during the ceremony. “I applaud your courage and resilience throughout the ordeal. You’re a source of strength for many, and I wish you the same in your own personal journeys of healing and recovery moving forward.”

O’Brien continued to thank Hopkins for his dedication to justice for the victims.

“I’d like to express gratitude and congratulations to Sage Hopkins, who for over a decade tirelessly pursued justice for these victims,” O’Brien said. “You’re a testament to the collegiate coaching profession, and it’s a privilege to share this stage with you today.”

O’Brien and Hopkins both said supporters’ focus should remain on the recovery of victims and survivors. 

“My hope is that [victims] continue to heal, and that some of these recent findings will bring major closure to what they have gone through. The situation’s not over,” Hopkins said in an interview. “Unfortunately they were gaslit, some of them for more than a decade. I apologize for how they were treated by segments of the university.”

Hopkins said Shaw’s behavior should be judged as an “ugly chapter in the history of San Jose State.”

“I ask that people view it for what it is: the actions of a serial predator and a small group of rogue administrators who enabled his abuse for over a 10-plus-year period,” Hopkins said during the ceremony. “None of these [administrators] represent the university for what it truly is: a vibrant, diverse and transformational campus that is led by a world-class faculty and blessed by an amazing student body.”

Shelby Mullendore, SJSU economics senior and swimming and diving athlete, said she and other students attended the council meeting to support Hopkins and his efforts to expose sexual abuse on campus.

“Even though none of us were directly involved with anything going on during that time, we still need to show our support for [Hopkins] and for our past teammates and alumni,” Mellendore said. “All of those actions were taken to protect us as well. I think it really does mean the world to [the victims].”

Based on the Justice Department findings, Papazian has already begun the process to expand the Title IX office and include additional Title IX experts, according to the Athletics Investigation For Your Information (FYI) webpage.

The office will receive a substantial increase in funding, and be appointed a new “Title IX coordinator,” according to the university’s FYI webpage.

Hopkins expressed his expectation in the restructuring of Title IX training at the university following the investigation. 

“There needs to be some systemic change within certain segments of the university,” Hopkins said. “Unfortunately it took the Department of Justice to mandate this, but it doesn’t change the fact that our students and our staff and faculty will have a safer campus.”