Tennessee AD stands behind coach Butch Jones after Title IX allegations
As students protested outside, Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said Thursday he trusts football coach Butch Jones "implicitly" and encouraged victims of sexual assault to come forward.
By
Jon Solomon
•
2 min read
As students protested outside, Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said Thursday he trusts football coach Butch Jones “implicitly” and encouraged victims of sexual assault to come forward.
Tennessee is embroiled in a Title IX lawsuit that alleges the university created a “hostile sexual environment” through a policy of indifference toward assaults by athletes. The most explosive allegation came Wednesday when a court filing said Jones told former football player Drae Bowles he “betrayed the team” after he helped a woman who said she was raped by two football players, and Jones called back later to apologize.
Jones has said the claim is “absolutely false” and that Bowles’ own words “will clearly establish that I have done nothing wrong.” Hart declined to address the specific allegation and said Jones' statement speaks for itself.
“I believe very, very strongly in what we’re doing here in the athletics program at the University of Tennessee, and I trust Butch Jones implicitly,” Hart said. “I know who he is. I know his work ethic. I know what he’s meant to this university as well as the department of athletics, and I know how he has represented the university.”
The lawsuit centers on five cases of alleged sexual assault by athletes between 2013 and 2015. But Hart plays a central role as well.
Former Tennessee vice chancellor Tim Rogers, who oversaw the office that investigated student misconduct, resigned in 2013 over concerns that the athletics department inappropriately applied pressure on campus discipline. At the time, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek told The Tennessean that by 2013 he had heard from several stakeholders, including the athletics department, that Rogers' staff was too strict in how it disciplined athletes and non-athletes.
Jenny Wright, the director of student judicial affairs, has said she was criticized by Hart for being too strict with athletes and that he screamed at her about over-prosecuting athletes. Hart told SI.com this week that he never met Wright and doesn’t know what she looks like.
Wright was accused of having inappropriate relations with Tennessee athletes and fired by the university in 2013. A university investigation later found no evidence to substantiate the claims.
At a news conference Thursday, Hart said athletes are not treated any differently than non-athletes if accused of sexual assault and that the athletics department plays no role in those investigations.
“We encourage victims to come forward, and it is my hope that the amount of publicity generated in recent days will not discourage victims from coming forward because that’s a huge part of our collective effort,” Hart said.
Hart said he is not worried about his job security. He said Tennessee has a “great culture” but “we’re not perfect, we’re far from it.”
Earlier this week, all 16 Tennessee head coaches held a news conference to discuss the campus culture. Hart said he did not attend the news conference because he was out of town meeting with legal counsel and that it was the coaches’ initiative to speak.
“I have tremendous empathy and sympathy for the alleged victims and all victims of sexual assault across the country,” Hart said. “It is simply an unacceptable act.”
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