UCLA baseball assistant David Berg left after facing sanctions for slapping a player
UCLA assistant baseball coach David Berg recently parted ways with the school several months after a university investigation concluded that he had “by a preponderance of the evidence … slapped a student-athlete” last October.
As a result of the investigation conducted while he was on paid leave, according to redacted documents reviewed by The Times, Berg was suspended for one month, docked $10,000 in salary — the equivalent of two months’ pay — and suspended for seven games in February. He also was required to undergo training in violence prevention.
Berg was widely considered one of the most dominant closers in the history of the college game while helping the Bruins win the 2013 College World Series before joining the coaching staff.
A UCLA athletic department spokesperson would not comment on the nature of Berg’s departure. He was replaced late last month by Griffin Barnes, the team’s former director of baseball operations and director of player development.
UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond says he’s confident the Bruins are well-prepared for every aspect of their move to the Big Ten.
“We can confirm that a thorough campus-run investigation was conducted prior to the start of last season,” the spokesperson said. “Disciplinary action was taken, and campus protocols were followed. Though the individual is no longer employed by UCLA Athletics, this remains a personnel matter, and as such, we will not comment further.”
UCLA coach John Savage did not return a phone message from The Times, and Berg declined to comment via text message.
Berg was promoted to assistant coach in August 2023 after spending the previous five years in a variety of roles, including undergraduate assistant coach, director of baseball operations and volunteer assistant coach.
Berg was placed on paid leave Nov. 2 after a person contacted UCLA athletic officials, saying she received a phone call from the parent of a player who alleged that Berg had “slapped a kid in the face on the field.”
According to 81 pages of documents reviewed by The Times, Berg told an investigator the contact occurred during a recruiting dinner at El Cholo restaurant in Santa Monica that was also attended by current players and coaches.
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Berg asked the player to change seats at the dinner and sit next to Savage so that Berg could sit next to a recruit, but the player did not want to comply. After dinner, when the valet was retrieving cars, Berg said he observed the player complaining about having to sit next to Savage and “shaking his head.” Berg said he gave the player what he described as a “double tap on the cheek” that was not “violent in intent,” saying it was “inappropriate, but not physically aggressive.”
Another witness gave a different account, saying although the player wanted to sit next to his friends, he was not upset — nor did he complain — about having to move next to Savage. While the players and coaches were in the valet area, the witness said, one player said he was looking at Berg when Berg asked him, “What the f— are you looking at?” The witness said Berg then approached the player and slapped him in the face.
According to the investigation documents, nearly all of the five witnesses interviewed said the player was “at minimum, surprised, while some described him as ‘emotionally distraught’ or upset nearly to the point of tears.”
Berg told the investigator he eventually texted an apology to the player and apologized to him in person, later calling his parents and telling them that the incident “was supposed to be a joke” but that “it looked worse” than it was. The player’s father told the investigator that Berg said his coaching approach with his son was “aggressive, but not combative and confrontational.” The player’s parents responded that they did not agree with that approach.
In his statement to the investigator, Savage said Berg’s alleged actions “were not appropriate in any way.” Savage said he told Berg that “there was no such thing as a playful slap. I don’t know what you’re doing, but you can’t do that again.”
Savage also said that he had known Berg since he had played for the Bruins and “never experienced anything like that” regarding Berg’s conduct. Furthermore, Savage told the investigator, “We’ve never put our hands on any players in any sort of way.”
But a witness told the investigator that during the week before the incident at El Cholo, Berg had walked into the locker room and slapped one player on the back of the head and another player on the back of the neck.
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“It’s not the first time he’s gotten physical in a joking manner,” the witness said. “I feel like it crosses the line. I don’t think anyone likes to be hit. I think it’s kind of offensive, but you can’t do anything about it.”
The only Bruin player ever to be named All-Pac-12 Conference four times, Berg was UCLA’s closer when it won the national championship in 2013. He appeared in all 10 postseason games, getting credited with six saves and recording the final out to end the Bruins’ College World Series-clinching victory over Mississippi State.
After the Chicago Cubs selected him in the sixth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, Berg recorded a 4.63 ERA in three minor league seasons, reaching triple-A Iowa in 2017.
UCLA finished the 2024 season with a 19-33 record and finished tied with Washington State for last place in the Pac-12 after going 9-21 in conference games.
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