Report: Minnesota players accused of sexual assault, not investigated
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that several football players were accused of sexual assault but not reported to the police.
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Minnesota football players have been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the past academic year, according to a report from Minneapolis Star Tribune.
As the university is conducting its own investigation into the athletic department in the wake of the athletic director Norwood Teague's resignation, which came after multiple allegations of sexual harassment, the Star Tribune obtained emails from a Minnesota faculty member to Teague raising concerns about reports of sexual assault in the football program.
“There’s nothing since I’ve been here. … If we have anything that I’m aware of that has to do with a lady or anything of that nature, I go through [senior associate athletic director] Dan O’Brien, [interim athletic director] Beth Goetz, and call the police.” Kill told the Star Tribune in response to the report.
Kill reportedly later confirmed knowledge of two incidents: one that was reported to police and administrators and another "involving a group of freshman players" though he did not disclose any further details.
“When something happens, we take care of it,” Kill said. “And if it’s a kid that’s guilty, he’s taken care of.”
Kimberly Hewitt, the school’s director of equal opportunity and affirmative action, emailed Norwood Teague in July concerning the behavior of the football team after multiple reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment that were not investigated in the 2014-15 academic year.
In addition to this Star Tribune report and the university's internal investigation is the ongoing Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
