Lawsuit: UT football players assaulted Drae Bowles for helping rape victim
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
A federal lawsuit alleges that Tennessee football players twice assaulted wide receiver Drae Bowles for assisting the woman who accused linebacker A.J. Johnson and defensive back Michael Williams of rape in November of 2014.
The lawsuit, filed in Nashville on Tuesday by six unnamed UT female students including five alleged rape victims, charges that the University of Tennessee violated Title IX and other federal laws by "deliberately indifferent" actions before and after the alleged rapes. Four of the rapes in question, including the case involving Johnson and Williams, were allegedly committed by Tennessee athletes.
The lawsuit also charges that UT created a "hostile sexual environment" through deliberate indifference, and that UT officials, including chancellor Jimmy Cheek, athletic director Dave Hart and UT football coach Butch Jones, failed to address that environment.
Williams and Johnson, who were immediately suspended when they were accused, were both eventually charged with rape and are facing separate trials in June and July, respectively. Bowles, who transferred to Chattanooga after the 2014 season, has received a subpoena to testify.
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http://www.knoxnews.com/sports/vols/football/lawsuit-ut-football-players-assaulted-drae-bowles-for-helping-rape-victim-2b605b1c-9e5f-56e5-e053-01-368262521.html