Coach accused of having drinks, sex with playersDave Murphy, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, August 27, 2005
A 34-year-old Peninsula soccer coach faces disciplinary action and misdemeanor criminal charges after he allegedly provided alcohol to four 18- year-old players and had sexual intercourse with three of them.
The allegations have led Jeff van Gastel to resign as president of the De Anza Force, a Cupertino soccer club that he founded, and he has been suspended by the California Youth Soccer Association and Menlo College, where he had recently started a job as the assistant women's soccer coach. He had been the girls' soccer coach at Palo Alto High School for eight years before shifting to Menlo, but all the allegations involve players from the Force.
A San Jose police report alleges that van Gastel had an end-of-season party at his parents' San Jose home June 7, giving beer and margaritas to four players, then having sex with three of them. After two of the women went with their parents to police about a week later, an investigation determined that the sexual conduct was not illegal because they were adults, and it apparently was consensual, but van Gastel has been charged with four misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to people under 21.
He was arrested Aug. 10 and is due for arraignment Sept. 12 in Santa Clara County Superior Court. He has been released on $15,000 bail.
His attorney, Phil Schnayerson, said he hadn't seen the alcohol charges and couldn't comment, but he did stress that "there is no allegation of any improper sexual conduct whatsoever."
Witnesses have told San Jose police that at the party, team members played strip poker and card games where the loser had to drink beer. They also said van Gastel plied them with beer and margaritas while two of the victims said they "admitted to streaking through the neighborhood naked," but also felt their judgment was impaired due to drinking.
The police report said two of the women accuse van Gastel of taking advantage of them "because they were intoxicated.'' The third woman said the sex was consensual.
According to the police report, one of the women called van Gastel, who told her, as police listened in, "that he did not plan for it to happen, because he was married and also knew that both of the victims had boyfriends.''
Van Gastel told investigators he had provided alcohol at his parents' house and "admitted to having consensual sex'' with the three women, according to police.
The report to the district attorney's office concludes that "there is no evidence to suggest that force, threats or drugs were involved. The victims and witnesses were conscious and willing participants. However, the victims felt their judgment was impaired due to the alcohol, which they drank voluntarily.''
Even if he is acquitted, van Gastel may still be disciplined. Menlo College Athletic Director Caitlin Collier said that van Gastel has been suspended indefinitely without pay, and that any disciplinary action will probably depend more on the college's investigation than on what happens in court.
John Murphy, chairman of the California Youth Soccer Association, said Van Gastel could be banned if his conduct is found to be inappropriate, regardless of whether he is convicted. "We would only have to determine that we don't want this person around," Murphy said.
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