ESPN: Cal State Bakersfield asst. was moonlighting as pimp in four states

March 5, 2026

By Shwetha Surenran, ESPN: The men’s basketball program at California State University, Bakersfield won’t turn many heads with its last-place ranking in the Big West Conference. But when it comes to scandal, the school could be a top contender.

Cal State Bakersfield’s athletic department has been in upheaval since Aug. 29, when then-men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes opened an anonymous email from a tipster who alleged that Barnes’ temporary assistant coach, Kevin Mays, was also working as a pimp across four states. Other lawsuits, internal investigations, dismissals and finger-pointing have only served to deepen the department’s sense of crisis.

In the email, the tipster identified a woman whom Mays allegedly had trafficked for several months.

Read the full story…

California school hired a coach, but police say he moonlighted as a pimp

Multiple dismissals have occurred at Cal State Bakersfield as an investigation probes who knew what and when.

ESPN.com

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