Former Tennessee Football Player Claims He Was Attacked By Teammates, Told By Coach He 'Betrayed The Team' For Helping Rape Victim
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A former Tennessee football player has confirmed he assisted a woman who said she had been raped by two other players and that later he was attacked by teammates and told by coach Butch Jones that he had "betrayed the team."
An amended complaint filed Wednesday in a Title IX lawsuit against Tennessee states a woman called 911 from former Volunteers receiver Drae Bowles' car to report a rape in the early morning hours of Nov. 16, 2014.
The complaint also states that Bowles suffered a bloody lip when he was punched in the mouth by teammate Curt Maggitt later that day and was confronted by teammates Geraldo Orta and Marlin Lane the following day.
Bowles called Jones to tell him about being punched, and Jones said he was very disappointed in Bowles and that the receiver had "betrayed the team," causing the player to break down and cry, according to the complaint. The complaint states Jones called Bowles several hours later to apologize for his comments.
The woman's report of the attack led to the arrests of former linebacker A.J. Johnson and defensive back Michael Williams, who were indicted on aggravated rape charges in February 2015.
Tennessee issued a statement Wednesday night from its lawyer saying after reviewing the amended complaint, "We continue to stand by our actions.
"The facts, as opposed to allegations in a complaint, will demonstrate that the University acted properly in the matters at issue," said Bill Ramsey, the university's lawyer. "We have continuously worked hard to improve our processes and our procedures to ensure that we are doing all that we can to prevent incidents of assault, to support victims of assault and to pursue justice while ensuring due process for those accused. We will vigorously defend all claims in the amended complaint."
Two more plaintiffs were added to the lawsuit in the amended complaint. The federal lawsuit alleges Tennessee has violated Title IX regulations and created a "hostile sexual environment" through a policy of indifference toward assaults by student-athletes. The suit now includes eight unidentified women as plaintiffs.
Although the allegations that Bowles was attacked by teammates were in the original complaint filed Feb. 9 in Nashville, the amendment adds details and a signed declaration from Bowles that states the allegations in the suit "are true with respect to the statements and descriptions of events pertaining to me."
Bowles transferred to Chattanooga after the 2014 season.
The complaint states Bowles was driving when he noticed a woman "hyperventilating and crying near bushes in the parking lot."
When Bowles was in the locker room later that day, according to the complaint, Maggitt confronted him and punched him in the mouth and that Bowles fought back and threw punches before teammates broke up the fight.
Bowles was eating alone the next day when Orta and Lane "aggressively came over to Bowles' table to jump him as they shouted at him" before football strength coach Brandon Myles intervened, the complaint states. The complaint also states Jones took no action to discipline Orta, Lane or Maggitt.
The amended complaint is the latest in a flurry of activity around the case.
Tennessee's 16 head coaches held a joint press conference Tuesday morning to defend the school's athletic department and say it has been portrayed in an unfair manner.
At that press conference, Jones was asked how anyone making a sexual assault complaint in the future might react to seeing all the head coaches at a major university praising the culture at a school being sued over its handling of reported incidents.
"I don't want you to think in any way, shape or form that we don't feel for the alleged victims," said Jones, who had previously stated he doesn't think his program has a culture problem. "We feel for them. I hurt for them. We all hurt for them. I want to make sure people understand that. That hits at our soul."
The university said in a statement Wednesday that they "continue to stand by our actions."
"The University has reviewed the amended complaint filed today by the plaintiffs and we continue to stand by our actions. The facts, as opposed to allegations in a complaint, will demonstrate that the university acted properly in the matters at issue. We have continuously worked hard to improve our processes and procedures to ensure that we are doing all that we can to prevent incidents of assault, to support victims of assault, and to pursue justice while enforcing due process for those accused. We will vigorously defend all claims in the amended complaint. The University is issuing this statement to lessen the potential harmful effects narrative the amended complaint has on the university's continuing efforts to encourage survivors to come forward and report sexual assaults and its efforts to educate students about the issue of sexual assault. The University will not allow this lawsuit to detract from those efforts," the statement to College Football Talk reads.
Tuesday night, the university announced it had filed a motion to strike a reference to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning from the lawsuit.
One paragraph in the document mentions a sexual harassment complaint made by a Tennessee trainer in 1996 including an incident involving Manning, then the Volunteers quarterback.
The amended complaint on Wednesday also references two more reports from the last year, including one involving Alexis Johnson. The defensive lineman who was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and false imprisonment eight days after the suit was filed.
Alexis Johnson has been suspended from all team-related activities. Johnson's lawyer, Gregory Isaacs, has said his client "adamantly denies the allegations."
David Randolph Smith, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, also submitted signed declarations from former vice chancellor Tim Rogers and former director of the office of student judicial affairs Jenny Wright confirming the accuracy of statements made about them in the amended complaint.
The lawsuit states Rogers stepped down in 2013 "in protest over the violation of Title IX and the UT administration's and athletic department's deliberate indifference to the clear and present danger of sexual assaults by UT athletes."
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