Lawsuit: Vols blew off sexual assaults, player attacked for helping victim
A group of women filed a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee alleging the school allowed a hostile sexual environment on campus. The claims in the lawsuit are startling.
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3 min read
A group of women filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the University of Tennessee has not only violated Title IX regulations but created a "hostile sexual environment" that favors student-athletes.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights already had Tennessee in its sights as one of the many institutions currently targeted in a nation-wide collection of Title IX investigations.
The Tennessean has an extensive collection of details from the lawsuit, which includes some allegations that were known by many and other details that were previously unreported.
The plaintiffs, identified only as "Jane Does," accuse five Tennessee athletes of sexual assault in the lawsuit: former football players A.J. Johnson, Michael Williams and Riyahd Jones; former basketball player Yemi Makanjuola; and a current football player, identified only as "John Doe."
Johnson and Williams were accused of rape in December 2015 and await trials, which are scheduled for the summer. Jones was named as a suspect in an alleged incident in February 2015 but no charges were filed.
One of the most shocking allegations in the lawsuit is that Tennessee football players twice assaulted wide receiver Drae Bowles because he assisted the rape victim accusing Johnson and Williams.
Here's how the Knoxville News-Sentinel explains the incidents involving Bowles:
Williams said in an interview with police on Nov. 26 that former defensive back Geraldo Orta "had told Williams that the football team had 'a hit' out on Drae Bowles."
The lawsuit claims that Orta told police that he felt "Bowles had betrayed the team and that where he [Orta] came from, people got shot for doing what Bowles did." It also said Orta told police that he had gotten "in Bowles' face" and said "some threatening things" at Smokey's Cafe, the athletic dining facility. It also said that Orta told police [Curt] Maggitt confronted Bowles in the team locker room in an incident separate from the assault.
The lawsuit claims that former star linebacker Curt Maggitt "admitted" to one of the assaults in interviews with police, though it does not specify whether Maggot was involved.
Bowles testified before a grand jury in the cases that led to indictments for both players.
"UT administration [Chancellor Jimmy Cheek], athletic department [Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director] Dave Hart and football coach [Butch Jones] were personally aware [as ‘appropriate persons’ under Title IX] and had actual notice of previous sexual assaults and rapes by football players, yet acted with deliberate indifference to the serious risks of sexual assaults and failed to take corrective actions," the plaintiffs claim in the lawsuit, via the Tennessean.
Tennessee responded to the lawsuit with a statement released through its legal counsel:
"Like the many other college campuses facing the challenges of sexual assault, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has devoted significant time and energy to provide a safe environment for our students, to educate and raise awareness about sexual assault, and to encourage students to come forward and report sexual assault. When the University receives a report of sexual assault, we offer care and support to the person who came forward and work to investigate and resolve the matter in a timely, thorough, and equitable manner. When warranted, the University takes disciplinary action but will not do so in a manner that violates state law or the constitutional due process rights of our students.
"In the situations identified in the lawsuit filed today; the University acted lawfully and in good faith, and we expect a court to agree. Any assertion that we do not take sexual assault seriously enough is simply not true. To claim that we have allowed a culture to exist contrary to our institutional commitment to providing a safe environment for our students or that we do not support those who report sexual assault is just false. The University will provide a detailed response to the lawsuit and looks forward to doing so at the appropriate time, and in the proper manner."
