The Falcons have released rookie linebacker Torrey Green after reports of sexual assault allegations in Utah were made public. Green is under investigation after four separate women who didn’t know each other separately reported being sexually assaulted by the former Utah State football player to Logan City Police last December.
No charges were filed in the initial investigations, but prosecutors are now re-examining each case. The Falcons learned of the allegations Wednesday and promptly waived him. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said this in a video after speaking to the press this morning,
“We don’t want anybody connected to the organization who has those kinds of accusations around them.”
Green signed as a UDFA with the Falcons after graduating from Utah State this past April. After the Salt Lake Tribune asked for comments on the initial sexual assault story, authorities from Cache County asked Logan Police for the cases to be sent to them for review.
Green has denied the allegations, and also could not be reached for comment. When he did comment on the initial story last month, he said that “everyone makes mistakes” and was upset that the story was being pursued due to his newfound NFL position.
“This isn’t just Salt Lake, this isn’t just Logan, this isn’t just Utah, the whole U.S. is about to hear about something that’s blown out of proportion basically and that’s going to ruin a young man’s career,” Green said.
One of the women who was assaulted told the paper that she was assaulted in November of last year and reported the incident to the school’s Title IX offices, but later asked them to stop investigating. Schools must fully investigate credible reports even without a formal complaint if there are indications that a student has sexually assaulted multiple students.
“The football team definitely gets slaps on the wrists and they often don’t look at rape as breaking the law, they look at it as an inconvenience to the team,” one of the women, here under the pseudonym Mary, told The Tribune.
Utah State spokesman Tim Vitale issued this statement.
“We’re trying to address this as quickly as we can, and any recommendations will be shared widely with our constituents.”
