Jesus, what the fuck is going on at the University of Tennessee?

As portrayed in the lawsuit, [wide receiver Drae] Bowles found the woman, a friend of his, crying in a parking lot in the early hours of Nov. 16, 2014, and helped her call 911 and get an ambulance. That resulted in the wide receiver himself getting physically assaulted and harassed by some of his teammates, in particular linebacker Curt Maggitt, who, a court filing claims, struck Bowles in his face.

After Bowles told the linebacker what he had done, according to the filing, “Maggitt became violently upset, said that Bowles was trying to f— up A.J. [Johnson] and suddenly punched Bowles in the mouth with great force, causing Bowles’ lip to bleed.”

Two other then-teammates, defensive back Geraldo Orta and running back Marlin Lane, confronted Bowles the next day at a campus dining hall, and the pair had to be restrained by a team strength coach. From The Tennessean:

Orta later told police that where he came from, “people got shot” for such betrayals, according to the lawsuit. Williams also told police Orta put a “hit” out on Bowles for his role in helping the alleged victim, according to the lawsuit, which cited a Knoxville Police Department Incident Report. …

According to the lawsuit, Maggitt admitted to police that he assaulted Bowles. He was never charged with a crime. Orta told police that Jones “instructed the team to stay away from Bowles,” who was given time away from the program, the lawsuit says.

In his affidavit, Bowles said that he “broke down and cried” after Jones told him he had “betrayed” the team.

In his affadvit, Bowles said that he “broke down and cried” after Jones told him he had “betrayed” the team. On Tuesday, during an unusual press conference featuring all 16 of Tennessee’s head coaches, Jones said, “I don’t want you to think in any way, shape or form that we don’t feel for the alleged victims. … We all hurt for them. I want to make sure people understand that. That hits at our soul.”

Jones also noted that the lawsuit could impair his ability to land top-notch recruits, saying, “Our competitors are using it against us.”

Nordic wrote:Butch sounds innocent and really remorseful what d-bag...

In his affadvit, Bowles said that he “broke down and cried” after Jones told him he had “betrayed” the team. On Tuesday, during an unusual press conference featuring all 16 of Tennessee’s head coaches, Jones said, “I don’t want you to think in any way, shape or form that we don’t feel for the alleged victims. … We all hurt for them. I want to make sure people understand that. That hits at our soul.”

Jones also noted that the lawsuit could impair his ability to land top-notch recruits, saying, “Our competitors are using it against us.”

tTy wrote:The most unbeliebable tidbit in this whole deal is that Tennessee has 16 head coaches.

Nordic wrote:Butch sounds innocent and really remorseful what d-bag...

Blanch32 wrote:The 16 head coach thing is such of joke. Of course they are going to publicly defend their boss. Get SAF or concerned students 1954 or whatever up there defending the school.

I just hope laks and hollis take note since you know espn will be after us next

NigelUno wrote:

Blanch32 wrote:The 16 head coach thing is such of joke. Of course they are going to publicly defend their boss. Get SAF or concerned students 1954 or whatever up there defending the school.

I just hope laks and hollis take note since you know espn will be after us next

The football coach isn't the boss of the other head coaches, and I'm pretty sure they weren't defending what he did.

But...you know...facts and stuff.

tTy wrote:But, 16 head coaches guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF??????????????????????????????

I have an announcement: I've decided to take my talents to Knoxville.

You might say, "Jane! You're a 45-year-old woman with a fading fadeaway, a slowing first step! You have kids and a job! Why would you leave all that behind to play for the University of Tennessee?"

While that's true, I still have four years of unused NCAA eligibility. And after this week's news conference by all 16 Tennessee head coaches (including five women), I'm convinced: Playing for the Vols is too good an opportunity to pass up. In an unprecedented group interview with the media, the coaches wove an hour-long love letter to the university, offsetting any bad publicity with a positive attitude.

...

And you would whisper -- because you're really crushing the positive vibe here -- "Jane, no one was allowed to discuss the allegations of sexual assault, harassment and diminished opportunities for women at the school."

Well, that's completely understandable, even though it was the only precipitating factor that got all the joint chiefs of staff onto the stage. And they had to address what's making recruiting so tough. So instead of directly confronting what's prompting the notions of an unsafe culture, the coaches talked about how they discuss sexual assault with their athletes.

"We talk a lot about, just as you would your daughter, don't go out alone at night, know where you are going to parties, those types of things," said women's basketball coach Holly Warlick.

This reminds me of the time my young daughter heard that slogan, "Only you can prevent forest fires." And she became really concerned -- because there are a lot of forest fires, and there are only so many places a 7-year-old can be at any given time, what with school and sports and playing the viola. So there are going to be forest fires that she could prevent, she reasoned, that she just wouldn't have time to get to. That's a lot of responsibility for a kid.

The lawsuit brought by eight former female students alleges that the university administration and athletics department officials systematically enabled student athletes to escape punishment when accused of sexual assault. It claims that women who brought allegations were retaliated against. It claims officials with the athletic department tried to influence discipline of student athletes accused of sexual assault. And it claims that women felt compelled to leave the university because of a one-sided campus disciplinary process.

[Jenny] Wright is in a good position to know about the disciplinary process. She used to be in charge of it. She is now helping attorneys for the eight women. ...

Wright, the former director of Student Judicial Affairs, says that over the course of two years — between 2011 and 2013 — she felt pressure, intimidation and finally fear in her dealings with members of the athletic department, including its then-newly hired director — Hart — as she tried to do her job when it came to disciplining student athletes.

"I always knew that everything I did was being heavily watched and I had a lot of eyes on me, but that was just part of the job," Wright said last week. "But by the end, I was just scared."