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E.J "Doc" Kreis
UCLA strength & conditioning coach

After the revelation that UCLA strength and conditioning coach E.J. “Doc” Kreis was named in connection to a Denver civil suit against the University of Colorado, the Bruins’ coaching staff and players remain supportive.

The suit was filed Monday in Boulder by a former CU student who alleges she was gang-raped by Buffalo football recruits in 2001. She claims in the suit that there was “deliberate indifference, after actual notice” to the the university of the risks of sexual assault within its football recruiting program, according to the Rocky Mountain News.

With knowledge of the suit first surfacing on Tuesday, the coaching staff acknowledges not knowing about it before hiring Kreis, though they maintain they are not concerned by the revelations.

“I didn’t know about (Kreis’ connection with the civil suit),” coach Karl Dorrell said. “But as far as I know of that situation from afar, it appears to be more that they’re trying to get a case together for a civil suit.

“As to (Kreis’) involvement, I don’t think it was anything significant. So I’m not anticipating any issues coming out.”

The suit says campus police Lt. Michelle Irving believed Kreis, a former CU coach, had helped organize the story players allegedly involved would tell police, the Rocky Mountain News and The Associated Press reported.

“(Kreis) then was the kind of pipeline to the rest of the coaches,” Irving testified, according to the motion as reported by the Rocky Mountain News.

Dorrell said that had he been given any prior notice of the suit, there would have been no changes in his choice to hire Kreis over the summer.

“I’m sure it would (have some affect on the hiring process),” he said. “But with all our due diligence that was done when we looked into him coming here to be our strength coach, this wasn’t something that was of issue at the time.”

Kreis, who came to UCLA after being dismissed from CU, has been very well received by the players – many of whom credit him with increasing their strength and conditioning.

“Kreis is a great man, and a great person. He points us in the right direction,” offensive guard Eyoseph Efseaff said.

“I don’t know much about (the civil suit), but that’s not the Doc we know.”

The UCLA Athletic Department said Kreis would not be available for comment Wednesday.

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