The Logan Police chief has issued a statement about a meeting he attended in August with the Utah State University football team that sparked controversy and led to the university’s police chief resigning.

Comments from Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen and Assistant Chief Jeff Simmons during that meeting were cited in a lawsuit filed this week as evidence that “USU athletics coordinates with the campus and local police departments in order to establish protocol for football players to receive preferential treatment in the wake of criminal allegations.”

In a statement to KUTV 2News Friday, Jensen denied that.

“At no time have charges been changed, dismissed, or softened simply because of an individual’s status as a USU athlete,” Jensen said.

Details of the meeting were first made public in a lawsuit filed this week by a woman who alleges Utah State failed to properly investigate – and then retaliated against her – after she reported she was raped by a football player in 2019. KUTV 2News obtained an audio recording of the meeting.

In that recording, Jensen is heard telling players, “We want you guys to play ball. That’s what we want. We want you guys to play good ball. That’s what we want. And we will work with you to the best of our ability.”

Jensen told KUTV 2News the meeting, which he has been invited to attend for the past several years, is a “community service opportunity” to meet with players “who have potentially come from communities where police interactions have been less than respectful and cordial.”

“We offer advice in this meeting to help these young athletes preempt behaviors or actions that may lead to criminal interactions with the public and our department,” Jensen said, adding that he focused his comments on loud party complaints. “To give these players information on how to navigate and avoid potential legal issues is not only appropriate, it is what we stand for here at Logan City Police Department and would do for any individual or group seeking guidance.”

Simmons, the assistant chief, is also heard in the August meeting giving the players his cell phone number and saying they can text him “asking for a friend” for help.

Jensen said Simmons did that to help players, especially those from minority communities, who may feel they have been mistreated by an officer.

“He further encouraged texts and calls should they require information on how to navigate court processes after charges have been filed,” Jensen said. “They were invited to call or text questions even if they were ‘asking for a friend’ meaning that they were possibly asking a question for themselves but didn't wish to admit to some wrongdoing.”

Reached for comment Friday by email, Logan Mayor Holly Daines referred KUTV 2News to Jensen’s statement. Asked further if she felt Jensen’s and Simmons’ comments to football players were appropriate, Daines did not respond.

It was during that August meeting that Earl Morris, who resigned this week as Utah State’s police chief, told USU players to be careful in sexual situations, specifically with Latter-day Saint women. He said those women might feel guilt and claim an encounter was non-consensual after the fact.

Morris was widely criticized for his comments and resigned as the campus police chief Thursday.

In a separate meeting around the same time, Utah State head football coach Blake Anderson told football players, “it’s never been more glamorized to be a victim” of sexual assault. Anderson apologized Friday for his comments.