NEWYou can now listen to articles!
A former college basketball coach was on the sidelines by day and allegedly a pimp by night.
Kevin Mays was an assistant coach at Cal State Bakersfield when university police began investigating in August after the team’s then-head coach, Rod Barnes, received a tip by email.
The email, which was a “first warning and a final warning,” identified a woman Mays had allegedly trafficked for months.
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Kevin Mays during the game between Northern Arizona at Cal State Bakersfield at Icardo Center, in Bakersfield, California. (David Dennis/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL,” the tipster wrote in the email. Its subject line read, “IMPORTANT MESSAGE 911 911.”
Barnes then reported it to human resources, which then sent it to university police.
The tipster said Mays had been operating in Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington, and California. ESPN reported the tipster knew both the alleged victim and Barnes through travel for sex work.
The alleged victim posted an advertisement in Sacramento, stating she was willing to be anything from “arm candy” for a party to a “no strings attached girlfriend.” She charged $300 for a half hour and $500 for a full 60 minutes. Police ran a sting operation in September by scheduling a “date” with the alleged victim in a hotel room that Mays rented out.
Kevin Mays of the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners goes up for a dunk in the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 18, 2016, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
In an interview with police after the operation, she referred to Mays as her “boyfriend” who “routinely” paid for her travel accommodations.
None of Mays’ alleged victims are Cal State Bakersfield students or staff, ESPN noted. However, police reports cited by the outlet states that Mays purchased a rental car that was used for alleged trafficking through a university account.
Mays has now been hit with 11 charges, including pimping, possession of automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell, and child pornography charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 13 after being delayed nearly five months, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Kevin Mays during the game between Northern Arizona at Cal State Bakersfield at Icardo Center, in Bakersfield, California. (David Dennis/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mays played for the school from 2014 through 2016, playing in the 2016 March Madness tournament.
Follow Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Sports Huddle newsletter.
