This story just broke tonight and was posted on the Minnepols Star Tribune website:
University of Minnesota football players accused of sexual assault, harassment and retaliation
E-mail obtained by Star Tribune says complaints demonstrate “concerning pattern.”
By Brandon Stahl, Dan Browning and Emma Nelson Star Tribune
OCTOBER 15, 2015 — 6:24PM
University of Minnesota football players have been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and retaliation in the past academic year, but those allegations did not result in criminal charges, a university administrator said Thursday.
Kimberly Hewitt, the school’s director of equal opportunity and affirmative action, said in a July 16 e-mail to then-Athletic Director Norwood Teague that her office had concerns regarding complaints about football players, including two reports of sexual assault “committed by individual players,” two reports of sexual harassment involving “groups of football players” and a report of retaliation of involving “a group of football players.”
The e-mail was obtained Wednesday through a records request by the Star Tribune. In an interview Thursday, Hewitt said the concerns were raised over the course of the 2014-15 academic year. She refused to be more specific, saying that doing so could compromise student privacy. She declined to say how many players were involved, the number of alleged victims, where the alleged incidents occurred or to provide any other details. No police reports were filed, a university spokesman said.
The U’s general counsel refused Thursday to provide the numbers of complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault reported since Sept. 1, 2014, involving allegations against football players, as well as the numbers of alleged victims. The general counsel’s office said that because fewer than five incidents of sexual assault and fewer than five incidents of harassment took place in that time frame, the data could lead to the identification of individuals and violation of their privacy rights.
Head football coach Jerry Kill said Thursday that he was aware of one allegation involving a current player that was referred to administrators and to police.
“I’ve taken care of the report that we received on a young man. We turned it into the administration and it was handled by the administration,” he said.
Asked if the concerns about the football team remain, Hewitt said, “I would say yes.”
Teague himself resigned in August over allegations of sexual harassment that took place at a leadership retreat on July 15 — the day before Hewitt sent her memo.
Some investigated, some not
One of the sexual harassment complaints involving football players was investigated by the university, Hewitt wrote in the e-mail. That investigation “determined that one player had violated the sexual harassment policy.” The retaliation complaint “found concerning behavior by football players, but there was no evidence to substantiate that the players had violated University policy,” she wrote.
The other complaints were not investigated, Hewitt wrote, because the reporting students did not want to go forward with an investigation. She said the U follows federal guidelines on reporting sexual assaults. It’s generally up to the student whether to file a police report. Exceptions may be made with repeat offenders or in cases of imminent threats, she said.
“Title IX requires the school to take reasonable steps to prevent future sexual [violence] and harassment after receiving a complaint, even when the complaining student chooses not to pursue an investigation,” Hewitt noted in her e-mail.
In her interview, she said that if the U determines there was a violation of university policies, then the individual found culpable would be disciplined.
Kill: ‘We take care of it’
In her July e-mail, Hewitt wrote that the number of complaints “demonstrates a concerning pattern of football player conduct that we believe requires responsive action.” She said that Kill was notified about the complaints.
In an interview Thursday, Kill initially said, “There’s nothing since I’ve been here. … If we have anything that I’m aware of that has to do with a lady or anything of that nature, I go through [senior associate athletic director] Dan O’Brien, [interim athletic director] Beth Goetz, and call the police.” He said in a follow-up interview that he knew of one incident he said was reported to police and administrators, and another incident involving a group of freshmen players. He said he didn’t have details about the latter.
“When something happens, we take care of it,” Kill said. “And if it’s a kid that’s guilty, he’s taken care of.”
Goetz said in a prepared statement Thursday that Hewitt “proactively contacted the Athletics Department to initiate discussions on whether reports of sexual assault and harassment constituted a broader pattern. All of these reports were fully investigated to the extent that they could be and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) did not substantiate any sexual assault allegations. The EOAA Office substantiated one allegation of sexual harassment.
“A meeting was held between the athletics department and EOAA to determine whether additional educational efforts were needed and these discussions are ongoing. EOAA has independent authority to raise concerns and this is an example of that proactive system.
“One report of sexual assault or harassment is one too many and we took prompt, responsive action to investigate when notified of these reports. Coach Kill has a strong track record of dealing with student-athlete issues as soon as they arise,” she said.
The entire story is here: http://www.startribune.com/universi...assault-harassment-and-retaliation/333075411/
University of Minnesota football players accused of sexual assault, harassment and retaliation
E-mail obtained by Star Tribune says complaints demonstrate “concerning pattern.”
By Brandon Stahl, Dan Browning and Emma Nelson Star Tribune
OCTOBER 15, 2015 — 6:24PM
University of Minnesota football players have been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and retaliation in the past academic year, but those allegations did not result in criminal charges, a university administrator said Thursday.
Kimberly Hewitt, the school’s director of equal opportunity and affirmative action, said in a July 16 e-mail to then-Athletic Director Norwood Teague that her office had concerns regarding complaints about football players, including two reports of sexual assault “committed by individual players,” two reports of sexual harassment involving “groups of football players” and a report of retaliation of involving “a group of football players.”
The e-mail was obtained Wednesday through a records request by the Star Tribune. In an interview Thursday, Hewitt said the concerns were raised over the course of the 2014-15 academic year. She refused to be more specific, saying that doing so could compromise student privacy. She declined to say how many players were involved, the number of alleged victims, where the alleged incidents occurred or to provide any other details. No police reports were filed, a university spokesman said.
The U’s general counsel refused Thursday to provide the numbers of complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault reported since Sept. 1, 2014, involving allegations against football players, as well as the numbers of alleged victims. The general counsel’s office said that because fewer than five incidents of sexual assault and fewer than five incidents of harassment took place in that time frame, the data could lead to the identification of individuals and violation of their privacy rights.
Head football coach Jerry Kill said Thursday that he was aware of one allegation involving a current player that was referred to administrators and to police.
“I’ve taken care of the report that we received on a young man. We turned it into the administration and it was handled by the administration,” he said.
Asked if the concerns about the football team remain, Hewitt said, “I would say yes.”
Teague himself resigned in August over allegations of sexual harassment that took place at a leadership retreat on July 15 — the day before Hewitt sent her memo.
Some investigated, some not
One of the sexual harassment complaints involving football players was investigated by the university, Hewitt wrote in the e-mail. That investigation “determined that one player had violated the sexual harassment policy.” The retaliation complaint “found concerning behavior by football players, but there was no evidence to substantiate that the players had violated University policy,” she wrote.
The other complaints were not investigated, Hewitt wrote, because the reporting students did not want to go forward with an investigation. She said the U follows federal guidelines on reporting sexual assaults. It’s generally up to the student whether to file a police report. Exceptions may be made with repeat offenders or in cases of imminent threats, she said.
“Title IX requires the school to take reasonable steps to prevent future sexual [violence] and harassment after receiving a complaint, even when the complaining student chooses not to pursue an investigation,” Hewitt noted in her e-mail.
In her interview, she said that if the U determines there was a violation of university policies, then the individual found culpable would be disciplined.
Kill: ‘We take care of it’
In her July e-mail, Hewitt wrote that the number of complaints “demonstrates a concerning pattern of football player conduct that we believe requires responsive action.” She said that Kill was notified about the complaints.
In an interview Thursday, Kill initially said, “There’s nothing since I’ve been here. … If we have anything that I’m aware of that has to do with a lady or anything of that nature, I go through [senior associate athletic director] Dan O’Brien, [interim athletic director] Beth Goetz, and call the police.” He said in a follow-up interview that he knew of one incident he said was reported to police and administrators, and another incident involving a group of freshmen players. He said he didn’t have details about the latter.
“When something happens, we take care of it,” Kill said. “And if it’s a kid that’s guilty, he’s taken care of.”
Goetz said in a prepared statement Thursday that Hewitt “proactively contacted the Athletics Department to initiate discussions on whether reports of sexual assault and harassment constituted a broader pattern. All of these reports were fully investigated to the extent that they could be and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) did not substantiate any sexual assault allegations. The EOAA Office substantiated one allegation of sexual harassment.
“A meeting was held between the athletics department and EOAA to determine whether additional educational efforts were needed and these discussions are ongoing. EOAA has independent authority to raise concerns and this is an example of that proactive system.
“One report of sexual assault or harassment is one too many and we took prompt, responsive action to investigate when notified of these reports. Coach Kill has a strong track record of dealing with student-athlete issues as soon as they arise,” she said.
The entire story is here: http://www.startribune.com/universi...assault-harassment-and-retaliation/333075411/
