[homoe]

Utah State football coach Blake Anderson apologized on Friday after he was caught on a recording telling his players earlier this year that it “has never been more glamorized to be the victim” of sexual assault.

Anderson’s comments came from a team meeting during fall camp. According to the Tribune, Anderson warned players that they are “way more at risk” of being accused of sexual assault because they are athletes, and said that being a victim of sexual assault has “never been more talked about in the news [than] right now.”

The university launched an investigation into the comments on Thursday, which surfaced after a recording published by the Salt Lake Tribune and mentioned in a Title IX lawsuit filed against the school by a student.

“In the course of that conversation, I used a phrase regarding victims of wrongdoing to magnify that message to our team, but after reading my comments in the transcript that was released, I realize my choice of words was hurtful,” Anderson said in a statement through the school. “I regret the words I used, and I apologize to anyone who has bravely come forward with allegations of wrongdoing. We have to do everything we can to encourage and protect anybody who has been the victim of a wrong, or whose personal rights have been violated. Anyone who knows me knows how strongly I feel about this. Giving victims a safe platform to address wrongs they’ve suffered is always the right thing to do, and something I’ll always stand for.”