Rams' "Get-Back Coach" Has Been On Leave Since January After Being Charged With Sexual Battery

Ted Rath, the Rams’ director of strength training and performance, has apparently been on a leave of absence from the team since mid-January after being charged with three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery. As first reported by KNX 1070 NewsRadio, Rath’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky, pleaded not guilty for her client Friday morning.

In a press release from the district attorney’s office, Rath allegedly “touched an adult woman against her will on intimate parts of her body for the purpose of sexual arousal and gratification” sometime in June of last year. He was only just arrested on Jan. 15, Senior Deputy DA Erik Nasarenko told KNX. Rath faces a maximum of 18 months in jail, and would have to register as a sex offender if convicted.

The Rams said in a statement:

“We are aware of the charges filed against Ted Rath. We take these allegations very seriously. Once the charges were filed, we decided Ted would take a leave of absence from the team as this matter works its way through the justice system.”

Rath was not with the team during the NFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl, but, according to the Los Angeles Times, the team claimed it was because of a medical procedure—a claim that Rath’s lawyer later confirmed.

The strength and conditioning coach gained some fame for being in charge of preventing McVay from getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for stepping too far onto the field. A video from NFL Films highlighted this part of his responsibilities in a tweet published six days following Rath’s arrest.

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