Kevin Mays, an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Cal State Bakersfield, has been arrested on serious charges, including human trafficking. Police also found close to 600 images of child pornography on his phone, with some reportedly showing children as young as four years old. Mays is currently being held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to all 11 criminal and misdemeanor charges.
The charges against him include felony pimping, possession of automatic firearms, high-capacity magazines, and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell. The child pornography charges, along with distribution of obscene matter involving a minor, add another serious layer to the case. Investigators are still conducting follow-up interviews to determine if there are more victims or additional charges.
According to ESPN, the investigation began on August 29 when then-head coach Rod Barnes received an anonymous email claiming that Mays was working as a pimp across four states. The email read, “FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL,” and called it a “first warning and a final warning.” Barnes forwarded the message to the university’s human resources department, which passed it to university police, triggering the official investigation.
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The case exposed serious failures within Cal State Bakersfield’s athletic department
The tipster identified a 23-year-old woman who Mays allegedly trafficked for several months across Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington, and California. Police found that Mays used the university’s Enterprise car rental account to help carry out these alleged activities.
The alleged victim identified Mays as her “boyfriend” and said he regularly covered her rental cars, hotels, and flights for sex work. Text messages found by police reportedly showed his “involvement and control” over her activities.
Mays played for Cal State Bakersfield from 2014 to 2016 and later joined the athletic department as a player-development coordinator before becoming an assistant coach. The school conducted a criminal background check before hiring him, which reportedly found no issues.
The university’s senior director of strategic communications, Jennifer Self, called the charges “deeply concerning,” and noted that the school launched a commission to assess the athletic program and recommend structural changes. College athletics has seen its share of off-court controversies lately, including a Sun Belt women’s game that erupted into a mass brawl involving eight ejections.
In September, both Coach Rod Barnes and Athletic Director Kyle Conder left their roles, though the university has not specified why. Separately, softball coaches Leticia Olivarez and James Davenport also faced harassment allegations.
Davenport was investigated for illegal weapons transactions, threatening a student with a gun on video, and an inappropriate relationship with a student. An investigation concluded he engaged in “unprofessional and immoral conduct” and dishonesty.
Former Athletic Director Conder has since filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming he was fired in retaliation for warning the administration about other “potential crimes and misconduct” within the department. He alleges he was made a “convenient scapegoat” to divert attention from other issues surrounding Mays.
The university strongly denies his claims. Privacy violations have also been a concern in sports more broadly, as seen when paparazzi intruded on Aaron Rodgers’ personal life in a widely criticized incident.
Mays remains in jail, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 13.
Published: Mar 6, 2026 11:00 am