UCLA soccer coach in admissions scandal resigns
UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has resigned following his indictment last week for allegedly taking payments totaling $200,000 as part of an extensive college admissions and testing bribery scheme, the school confirmed Thursday.
Salcedo’s departure caps an ignominious end for the former Bruins All-American player who went on to serve as the head coach at his alma mater for the past 15 years. He went 182-89-42 in his coaching career at UCLA, winning six conference titles and leading the Bruins to the NCAA tournament in 14 of his 15 seasons.
Salcedo was indicted as part of a sprawling Justice Department investigation that accuses William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach-based businessman, of using his college counseling and prep service to solicit money from parents to help their children gain admission into elite universities such as Georgetown, Stanford, Yale, USC and UCLA. Others indicted in the probe include Hollywood actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman and several college coaches and administrators.
According to court documents, Salcedo allegedly took a pair of $100,000 payments from Singer in exchange for helping admit one male and one female applicant to the school while pretending they were soccer recruits. Neither applicant played competitive soccer.
“The conduct alleged in the filings revealed today is deeply disturbing and in contrast with the expectations we have of our coaches to lead their teams with honesty and integrity,” UCLA and its athletic department said in a joint statement last week. “If the facts alleged are true, they represent a grave departure from the ethical standards we set for ourselves and the people who work here.”
Salcedo, 46, had been the second-longest tenured coach in the history of the UCLA men’s soccer program. As a player, he was part of three of the Bruins’ four NCAA championship teams in the early 1990s and went on to play five years in Major League Soccer.
UCLA had no further comment about Salcedo’s resignation or the program.