Alford On Sexual Assault Incident: I Did Everything I Was Supposed To Do

(CBS) More than a decade ago, former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball coach Steve Alford systematically attempted to cover up sexual assault by one of his star players.

After basketball standout Pierre Pierce performed an unwanted sexual act on a female student, it was Alford, using a representative for Christian group Athletes in Action, who tried to strong-arm the victim into not pressing charges against the basketball star.

An investigation by the University of Iowa found that "The desire to facilitate an informal resolution of the matter may have had the opposite result. The Committee recommends that the Athletic Department take steps to limit the involvement of outside advisors, religious or otherwise."

During Alford's introductory press conference at UCLA on Tuesday, Alford had the following response when he was asked about how his involvement may have negatively affected the victim:

"That was an instance that happened years ago at the University of Iowa, and all I can tell you with that situation is that I followed everything that the University of Iowa administration, the lawyers that were hired - I did everything I was supposed to do at the University of Iowa in that situation," Alford said. "I followed everything I was told to do."