Documents Confirm Manning Accuser Called Sexual Assault Crisis Center, Feared Cover-Up
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Documents continue to surface online in the wake of renewed interest in Peyton Manning's alleged sexual assault and defamation suit. It may never be definitively proven what exactly happened that night, but what is becoming clearer is how both Manning and his alleged victim classified the incident, and how far apart they are in their descriptions.
ESPN Outside the Lines reporter T.J. Quinn reported early Tuesday that OTL had obtained documents from the Knoxville Sexual Assault Crisis Center, which former University of Tennessee trainer Jamie Naughright's case filings claimed she called to report Manning on the night of the incident. The "crisis line form" posted by OTL confirms that the report took place. Click here to see the full form.
The form confirms that Dr. Naughright, then known by her married name Jamie Whited, reported the incident as "sexual assault/abuse" at 9:55 PM on the night of February 29, 1996, and estimated that it occurred just hours earlier at 7:15. It also confirms that Dr. Naughright reported a crime to then-head trainer Mike Rollo, which both testified in their depositions. The box for "Adult sexual assault" is checked under the "Services for" section. The name of the assailant is listed as a "very well-known public figure ... athlete at UT."
The second page of the form reveals a list of apparent statements from Dr. Naughright when she called the Crisis Center, noting that she "did not want to discuss details of assault over the phone" and that she "feared for her life." According to the notes, Naughright told the crisis line "[I] sense there will be a cover-up" and that the "head coach [Phillip Fulmer is] letting them get away with everything."
The notes also corroborate Naughright's testimony that Rollo advised her not to call the police. The notes read: "Rollo told her tonite ... I don't think this is best handled by press or police." Rollo stated in his deposition that Naughright would not have been so shaken by the incident if it were, as Manning described it, a mere "mooning": "That was what struck me as so bizarre about the whole situation, that she was distraught, she was upset, and it seemed unusual. And I think I've described it in here as an incredibly awkward or unusual occurrence. And I have no explanations for it."
Pro Football Talk has reportedly obtained the full 2002 deposition from Dr. Naughright, who describes the incident in greater detail than what is revealed in the "Facts of the Case" document that the New York Daily News originally posted on February 13.
The incident led Dr. Naughright to file a complaint with the University of Tennessee, which she settled in August of 1997 by accepting $300,000 and leaving the university. Manning later described the incident as a "mooning" directed at fellow UT athlete Malcolm Saxon in his 2001 co-biography with his father Archie, Manning: A Father, His Sons, And A Football Legacy, which Rollo later said in his deposition that he can be credited with suggesting that term. The book violated a non-disclosure agreement between the school and Dr. Naughright, which opened Manning up to a defamation suit that was also eventually settled for undisclosed terms.
No matter what happened in the training room that night in 1996, it can't return to the courts without new evidence or case filings. It has been settled for nearly two decades and it is nigh impossible to determine which side is closer to the truth.
But it's clear that, regardless of whether you believe her feelings were genuine, Dr. Naughright was distressed by the incident in a way that she would not be had the incident been the usual locker room "horseplay" she had witnessed up to that point. It's clear that Dr. Naughright not only feared the incident would be covered up - and that Manning would "get away" with whatever he did - but feared for her life at the time, to the point where she wouldn't reveal Manning's name or discuss details of the incident. It's clear that, despite accusations of changing or embellishing her story over time, Dr. Naughright considered Manning's actions a sexual assault from the beginning.
The case may never be solved. Manning was never charged with a crime and probably never will. But as more details and documents continue to trickle out, the two sides only grow farther apart.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.