According to a federal lawsuit filed in Nashville on Tuesday, UT was “deliberately indifferent” to Title IX and federal laws in how it death with accusations by six University of Tennessee female students, five of whom are alleged rape victims.
Four of the five rape cases in question involve Tennessee male athletes. The lawsuit also alleges that UT created a “hostile sexual environment” and that all universal officials as well as head football coach Butch Jones refused to address the issue.
Also mentioned in the lawsuit was that former UT wide receiver Drae Bowles was assaulted twice by linebacker A.J. Johnson and defensive back Michael Williams for helping one of the accusers after both men allegedly raped her in November 2014.
Williams and Johnson have both been charged with rape and are preparing for separate trials this summer. Bowles has since transferred to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he is playing on their football team.
Other alleged rapists accused in the lawsuit include former football player Riyahd Jones, former basketball player Yemi Makanjuola; a current football player named as John Doe; and a current non-athlete student also named as John Doe.
The lawsuit says the women are seeking an overhaul of Tennessee’s processes, compliance with Title IX, ending the TUAPA hearing process, reimbursement of tuition, and damages for emotional suffering.
UT’s responded to the lawsuit via a statement that said “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.”
[KnoxNews]
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