She was never helping me, the former player said. She claims in her lawsuit that she endured years of discrimination and mistreatment lack of equal compensation, sexual improprieties and harassment stemming from being a Black woman who served as a whistleblower of bad behavior. Read USA TODAY's investigation:Two women say ex-Washington RB Derrius Guice raped them at LSU when he was a freshman. He said, Why do you need to involve my wife? And that would back him off for a while. If she could go back, Johnson said, she wouldnt accept the scholarship. Alabama baseball's Mac Guscette leaves LSU game, hospitalized after on Ex-LSU tennis player: Coach lied about abuse - ESPN Samantha Brennan, a former LSU student, reported to LSU that football player Derrius Guice took a partially nude photo of her without her knowledge and shared it with at least one other person. The report also said Lewis was the only staff member punished for not issuing reports, which it described as ironic because Lewis has lodged several reports of sex harassment throughout her tenure. Additionally, the investigation found that Taylor Porter, which had represented LSU for 80 years, did not report its findings from a previous investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by then-football coach Les Miles to all of the schools board members. LSU didnt do the right thing back in 2016, but I was hoping they would do the right thing now, Brennan said. The suspension kicks in onlyif the student commits a second offense, and the school finds him responsible again. on Nov. 28, 2015. One former player, who spoke to USA Today with her experience of how LSU handled her rape case, told the Reveille that she reported her rape when she went into rehab. Later that morning, she got a text from Guice, asking if she had his wallet. We knew she was talking about us, the player said, referring to her and her teammate. He turned down offers from Alabama, Ohio State and other top universities to play as a wide receiver for the Tigers, whodescribed him as one of the most athletic players perhaps to ever wear an LSU football uniform.. He admitted in court to punching the woman in the stomach and later pushing her onto a couch, which bruised and cut her leg. Gourrier Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Although her memory of the night is fuzzy, she recalled her date moving her to the back of the bus, ripping open her shirt and touching her without her consent. The other athletes did not respond, including Guice, whose attorney previously denied the rape allegations against his client. This has been a nightmare, Lewis said. The woman could have appealed the decision, she said, but by that timethe case had already dragged on for five months. LSU Athletics, Louisiana State University, 2023. The former player was coached by Sell for one year and described the culture of the team that year as toxic. She suffered injuries that year and said Sell didnt seem to care. Two other, current female students separately told USA TODAY that LSU issued deferred suspensions to the men who raped them. French Open. Lewis posted a statement on Twitter on Wednesday night, saying that LSU women's tennis co-head coach Julia Sell failed to report Lewis's account of physical abuse by then Tigers wide. A football player and roommate of Davis said he knew of the violence and that assistant football coach Mickey Joseph would call him each week asking if the woman was at his and Davis apartment. The Title IX case dragged on for more than six months, during which LSU rarely gave the women updates, twice extended the frat members deadlines to appeal without notifying them, and denied their requests for protection from him during the case, according to the women and their emails with school officials. April 26, 2023 6:18 pm ET. Although such reports often are public, university officials said the cases could still be prosecuted and releasing documents could harm the cases even though, years later, it has only shared one of them with the East Baton Rouge District Attorneys Office, the office said. LSUs lengthy and cumbersome Title IX process is intentional, the other woman inthe case believes. LSU repeatedly mishandled sexual assault reports against athletes. They later told police that they did not learn of the abuse until a year later White in April 2018, and the Sells in June 2018, police records show. They did not file police reports. LSU in June 2019 found the frat member responsible for sexually assaulting both women, case records the women shared with USA TODAY show. She reported her concerns to Ausberry and Segar, neither of whom took action, she said. She would have them kind of spy on us to see if we said anything bad about her. LSUs failure to adequately address sexual misconduct goes beyond one star running back, a USA TODAY investigation found. But once she began playing for Sell, that excitement faded. But Sharon wouldnt have it.. She said Sell was very supportive about her recovery in rehab and even sent her letters while she was there. Wilson was rehired at LSU last year by new coach Brian Kelly after taking two jobs elsewhere at the University of Texas at San Antonio and McNeese State. Both were arrested. Another former player who witnessed Sells favoritism during her time on the team attested to Frankenbergers stories. She felt like she could never please her. Curtis Bunn is an Atlanta-based journalist for NBC BLK who writes about race. You would think that Julia ]Sell] would at least have been put on temporary leave, she said. Delays, missteps and inaction have also plagued cases involving ordinary students, according to interviews with five women whove gone through the process, as well as corroborating documents they provided USA TODAY. Elisabeth Andries, a junior at Louisiana State University, reported an LSU fraternity member for sexual assaulting her. Kenny Jacoby, Nancy Armour and Jessica Luther, USA TODAY, Derrius Guice, right, with LSU coach Ed Orgeron in 2017. Lewis produced a screenshot of an April 26, 2013, text message to Segar that she said shows her concern about the culture in the athletic department. LSU didnt do the right thing back in 2016, but I was hoping they would do the right thing now. She needs to be in control., I have heard that from the other girls, Lewis said. They kept saying there was nothing they could do.. The lawsuit is ongoing. She enrolled at two different universities before finally seizing an opportunity to return to a familiar environment. One of Lewis attorneys, Larry English, has asserted claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, in federal court against school officials. She said after that, the family never spoke to Sell again. Before thehearing panel, Sanders asked the women if they had additional evidence to present. The first time LSU staff followed the law and school policies in reporting Davis was the following year, in April 2018, when he punched the woman again, this time in the ribs. Lewis reportedly told police and USA Today that Davis left her bruised or bleeding on at least six occasions during the year in which they dated. The newspaper reported that the two coaches and athletic trainer later told police that they weren't aware of Davis' conduct until a year later. Sharon Lewis, an LSU alum and former employee, claims the several complaints she filed over 20 years led to her ouster earlier this year. She would have secret meetings with them and talk badly about us, Frankenberger said. Lewis, a former track athlete for the Tigers, was hired in 2002 and had served 20 years in the football department as an employee recognized for being an integral part of helping lure some of the top talent in the country to LSU. Way-Too-Early Top 25. [2] I think it made her doubt her ability to play tennis.. Taylor's Thoughts. And this is how Im treated for doing the right thing?, Wilson and his family have deferred to a statement by LSU spokesperson Ballard, which stated: There is no evidence that any allegations involving Frank Wilson were ever reported to LSU officials, and none of these allegations were shared during the highly visible, independent Title IX review by Husch Blackwell a review process that Ms. Lewis participated in., As for Lewis firing, Ballard said, While I cannot comment on a specific personnel action, I can provide that between reassignments and departures, there were 40 personnel changes in Athletics following the 2021-22 football season., Lewis said she has been going to therapy for years to manage the trauma of working in a hostile place with no support. Photo by Morgan Searles. The school, she said, fears lawsuits and knows perpetrators are more likely than survivors to sue. The father said he never spoke to Mike Sell again. So that sucked.. The womans roommate, a volleyball player, said that Davis had, in fact, strangled the woman that night. In response, LSU provided reports for two non-criminal incidents involving Guice but did not provide Brennans report nor mention its existence, in violation of the state public records law. Jasmine Carson, with record-breaking hot streak, is LSU's unlikely star But the hearing panel postponed it upon the students appeal, instead allowing him to graduate before the suspension would take effect. We have in the past and will continue to take appropriate action and comply with all reporting protocols. NCAA's international athletes still facing NIL challenges, The sorcery and science behind Virginia's swimming dynasty, Report: LSU ignored sexual assault complaints, Author of seven books on college football. But when my name came up, the only Black woman, I was called an opportunist., When asked about current employees testifying at the hearing, DeCuir said: When you do an investigation like we did, and you make it public, invariably lawyers and other folks are going to take advantage of it and try to file lawsuits.. After LSU womens tennis Co-Head Coach Julia Sell gained national spotlight for allegedly ignoring reports that one of her players was a victim of rape, former LSU tennis players have come forward to describe the toxic culture of Sells program. So a win vs. Michigan was special. In a second incident in April 2018, Davis allegedly punched the victim in the left side of her stomach and fractured her rib. Mia Rabinowitz - LSU There's no place in our society nor on this campus or on our football program for any behavior of this type. I am anxious to see in court how they explain that, Lewis said. USA Today reported that it found no evidence that White, Mike Sell or Julia Sell informed anyone of Davis' alleged abuse, including the university's Title IX coordinator, which is required under federal law and LSU policy. On Nov. 13, the university providedthree of them. Provens, Phillips and Davis declined to comment. 11 Texas, giving the program its highest ranked win in six years . Andries requested to swap out of the class she shared with him, or take it online, she said, but LSU refused. But it redacted the names of the suspects, victimsand witnesses, citing not a public records exemptionbut rather Louisiana's constitutional right to privacy. We are committed to a culture of safety, equity and accountability for all students and staff. Frankenberger, a senior during Sells first season, suffered injuries while being coached by Sell. In that Facebook video about her scholarship, Johnson, surrounded by her teammates on LSUs tennis courts, opens an envelope. In a statement, LSU said it does not tolerate sexual violence of any form. Such an approach may explain why LSUs punishmentsfor sexual offenders have often amounted to a slap on the wrist. Clinched a 4-2 win for Illinois over No. The NOA alleged NCAA violations of a booster paying a football players family members $180,000 for working at a handful of events and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. giving players cash on the field after they won the 2019 national championship. She wants to be in control. Miles was directed to avoid interacting with student workers in 2013 which, according to Lewis lawsuit, happened because administrators were aware of her reports and he was eventually fired three years later.
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