Northridge Staff Member Serves Notice, Asks Bozeman to Apologize

A Cal State Northridge staff member says he will file a lawsuit against Todd Bozeman if the California basketball coach does not apologize for striking him and refuses to recant a claim that the incident was incited by a racial remark.

Tim Taggart, an attorney representing Howard Garcia, Northridge’s events manager, said Friday he was sending a “notice of claim” to Bozeman and athletic officials at Cal. Bozeman is accused of assault and defamation in connection with an incident that took place during a Jan. 22 basketball game at Northridge.

Being a public entity, Cal has 45 days under a federal government code to respond to the notice before Garcia can sue.

Bozeman, in his third season as head coach, twice jabbed at Garcia after a heated exchange behind the Cal bench midway through the second half of a game won by the Golden Bears, 76-65. Garcia said he was attempting to assure Bozeman that the area was secure after the coach traded verbal volleys with Northridge fans.

When Bozeman and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend continued to complain, Garcia said he told Bozeman, “Coach, you just coach your basketball team, and I’ll take care of security.”

Videotape of the incident shows Bozeman gesturing at Garcia four times during their conversation. When Garcia pointed back, the Cal coach slapped at his fingers then lunged, grazing Garcia on the side of the head with his right hand.

In the aftermath, Bozeman denied throwing a punch.

Garcia said he had no plans to press charges, but that he wanted an apology.

Now is he demanding one.

Bozeman, during an interview on the show “Up Close” broadcast last Friday on ESPN, claimed Garcia racially insulted him.

“Something (was) said to me that as a man, and as an African-American man, that I’m just not going to take,” Bozeman said.

Although he did not refer to Garcia by name, Bozeman corrected interviewer Chris Myers when Myers attempted to confirm who made the allegedly racist statement. “This was the security person who said this to you?” Myers asked.

“He’s the events manager,” Bozeman replied.

Garcia, who denies making a racial remark or otherwise insulting Bozeman, said he began to seriously explore legal action against the coach after learning of Bozeman’s ESPN interview from a friend who saw it.

“I was hoping this whole situation had blown over or was cooling down,” Garcia said Friday. “But (Bozeman) made up my mind, made my decision to pursue legal action real easy.”

Bozeman did not return phone calls to his office. Cal plays at home against USC today.

Garcia said charges will not be filed if Bozeman is willing to make a public apology. “The ball is in his court,” Garcia said.

The day after the game, Cal released a statement that generally supported Bozeman.

Northridge officials conducted their own in-house investigation of the incident and concluded that Garcia did not provoke Bozeman.

“We are not pleased with the stance that Mr. Bozeman has taken, that an employee of this university made a racial comment, which we have found not to be true,” said Paul Bubb, a Northridge associate athletic director.

“We want to make sure we’re getting the correct information out about what really did take place.”