The LSU gymnastics program is taking steps to increase security for the team after a meet in Salt Lake City that featured a large group of fans determined to get access to junior gymnast Olivia Dunne.
LSU coach Jay Clark told The Advocate/Times-Picayune on Tuesday that a security officer now will travel with the team to competitions for the remainder of the year.
"That person will be in our hotel and outside our locker room and getting us to and from the bus at the venue," Clark said. "(The officer) will be there to create a perimeter that keeps everybody safe.
"We want to be accessible to our fans with autographs and kids, but we also don't want to bury our heads in the sand. We want to make sure everybody is safe at all times."
It's not unusual for the gymnasts to go into the bleachers and meet their family and friends, but that practice may come to an end.
"Things have to change. We just can't expose them," Clark said. "We're looking at some policy changes that will give parents access at a different location to their daughters."
Clark said there already had been an ongoing dialogue about improving security for the gymnastics program and other LSU athletes in an era when there is increased exposure through social media and name, image and likeness deals.
"I could see things beginning to get bigger," he said. "We wanted to get ahead of it, but we didn't see what happened last week coming as big as it's been. It's been bubbling under the surface for a year now."
While the LSU gymnastics squad has built a devoted following as a national contender, Dunne's fame has skyrocketed with an Instagram account that has 2.7 million followers.
That social media presence has made her one of the nation's most recognizable and profitable college athletes. She has received NIL deals that earn her "seven figures" in income, according to a report by The New York Times.
Clark credited the security team at Utah for handling the fans who showed up outside the venue, chanting the New Jersey native's name and asking about Dunne's whereabouts.
LSU's bus was relocated outside so that the gymnasts could avoid the crowd as they left the building.
"We had an officer with us, and they moved the bus as things got out of control," Clark said. "It was handled well by Utah.
"Probably 99 percent of the people there were seeking autographs, but you never know when you get a crowd like that. We'll do the best we can to protect them. It's at the forefront of my mind as a father and coach of these young women. We take very seriously the responsibility to keep them safe."
Samantha Peszek, a gymnast who is now in broadcasting, tweeted a video of a group of Dunne fans waiting outside the arena in Utah. The crowd included one young man who shouted, "Give us Livvy!," and another who asked, "Please. Do you know where Livvy is? I'm serious."
This is actually so scary and disturbing and cringey. I’m embarrassed for them… pic.twitter.com/h23bBdBQ9B
— Samantha Peszek (@samanthapeszek) January 8, 2023
The mother of Utah gymnast Jillian Hoffman described the fans at the arena as "so rude and disrespectful" to the other gymnasts in a Facebook post.
"They literally said to their faces, you are not Livvy but you will do, can we get a picture?" Jennifer Hoffman said.
Clark said he feels like security measures are largely in place at LSU to make sure his athletes are secure on campus, but he has had to personally chase off fans seeking access to the gymnasts.
"We do have issues from time to time," he said. "We've had people loiter around the training facility and wait on some of them to leave so they can try to get an autograph.
"We've had a few issues, and I've had to run people off. There was one particular moment last year where we called LSU police to come down. Most instances are not nearly to that degree, but it does happen."
While acknowledging that the crowd in Salt Lake City was sometimes a distraction, Clark credited his gymnasts for handling the situation well.
"They've been great," he said. "They just want to do gymnastics. They love our fans and want to be accessible."