Reported Knoxville rape, sexual assault involves Vol football players

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 26m26 minutes ago

One of these days, a big national program will take the punishment for a nationwide issue of rape culture. #Vols hope it won't be them.

[jbcarol]

The Dave Hooker Show ‏@DaveHookerShow 2h2 hours ago

Former Tennessee player expresses concern about sexual assault scandal http://trib.al/1FbBtJq

Stephen White is concerned.

The former Tennessee defensive lineman expressed his discontent Wednesday on Twitter after the Vols were hit with a lawsuit filed on behalf of six women who claim the University of Tennessee fostered a culture that enabled sexual assaults to be committed by athletes.

White played for the Vols from 1993-96 before playing seven years in the NFL...

https://twitter.com/sgw94/status/697428246024056833

https://twitter.com/sgw94/status/697430455449227264

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 3h3 hours ago

I'm not judging the merits of this suit against #Vols AD, but mentioning Lil' Jon appearance in the suit is hilariously grasping at straws.

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams  9h9 hours ago
U has hired the firm of Neal and Harwell of Nashville to represent it in the federal lawsuit related to sexual assaults filed in Nashville.

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat Feb 9

Bowles told me after charges were filed in that case that he had driven the alleged victim home. ...

... and that he was not aware that she had been raped.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams  9h9 hours ago
U has hired the firm of Neal and Harwell of Nashville to represent it in the federal lawsuit related to sexual assaults filed in Nashville.

Big hitters.  Aubrey Harwell is a powerful, powerful man.  And expensive too.

[jbcarol]

The Tennessean ‏@Tennessean  13h13 hours ago
Campus discipline at heart of UT lawsuit http://tnne.ws/243dc8r  via @anitawadhwani @tnnaterau

Monday will mark exactly three years to the day a former University of Tennessee student reported to campus officials she had been raped by a varsity basketball player in his dorm room after being invited to watch an afternoon movie.

She reported the incident to university police, underwent a rape exam, and told her story again to campus officials. The basketball player invoked his right to counsel when questioned by police.

What happened next, as she waited for the university to take action, is the subject of a sweeping lawsuit filed last week that is challenging the university's system of disciplining student athletes and asking a federal court to intervene to end it...

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Peyton Manning has also been named in the lawsuit. I did not know he had been sued twice before by a female team doctor

PP

[jbcarol]

Stacey Barchenger ‏@sbarchenger  10m10 minutes ago
Another update on this wide-sweeping lawsuit: "Jane Doe 3" files statement in UT sexual assault suit http://tnne.ws/1XtQeT9  via @tennessean

A former University of Tennessee student has filed a statement in support of her request to delay a campus disciplinary hearing that would, she said, "require me to be in the presence of at least one of the men who raped me for a significant amount of time."

The woman is one of six unnamed "Jane Does" who brought a wide-ranging federal lawsuit against the university last Tuesday over its handling of sexual assault reports.

The suit alleges the university has created a student culture that enables sexual assaults by student-athletes, especially football players; displays "deliberate indifference" to claims of sexual assault; and uses an unusual student discipline process that is biased against victims who step forward.

A plaintiff known as "Jane Doe 3" faces a campus disciplinary hearing  Wednesday to determine whether her alleged attacker should face university punishment. That hearing could last up to three days, according to court filings.

The scheduled hearing comes after months of delays.

[jbcarol]

Stacey Barchenger ‏@sbarchenger 17h17 hours ago

ICYMI: Knoxville News Sentinel sues for records in rape case http://tnne.ws/1XoD0Hv  (@tennessean's similar but separate suit still pending)

Knoxville News Sentinel has asked a judge to release records related to the pending rape charges against former Vols football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams.

The newspaper filed a motion to intervene in the case and asks a judge to release several records in the case that a reporter, Jamie Satterfield, had been told were sealed, though there was no order in the public case file, according to the motion.

Satterfield first sought search warrants related to the case in March 2015. The motion also seeks access to recordings and transcripts of police interviews with witnesses and the woman police said was sexually assaulted, all of which the motion says were entered as evidence in the case and should be public record.

"We have been asking for more than a year to inspect the records in this case, a right of citizens guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States and Tennessee," News Sentinel Managing Editor Tom Chester said in an email to The Tennessean. "We have been rebuffed and felt a lawsuit was our last recourse to undo these secret proceedings and to ensure that future requests to inspect records are given due process in a court hearing."

[Pulled(PP)pork]

I got a question about these FOIA requests, why are the transcripts and interviews available to the media?  They can release audio tapes, release the transcripts, and obviously taint the jury pool before this goes to trial......how does someone get a fair shake that way?


PP

[jbcarol]

MJ Slaby Verified account
‏@mjslaby

Jane Doe III (from the lawsuit against UT) had her UT hearing today, but 1 person didn't attend: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/plaintiff-in-federal-lawsuit-waits-for-ut-decision-in-sex-assault-claim-2bfb911b-32cb-2907-e053-0100-369174491.html ...

One of the women suing the University of Tennessee on claims UT violates federal laws in its handling of sexual assault cases is now waiting for the outcome of a university disciplinary hearing that her lawyer attempted to prevent.

The woman, identified in court records only as "Jane Doe III," gave her testimony about the October 2014 incident when she says she was assaulted to a university-appointed administrative law judge in Knoxville via Skype on Wednesday, said David Randolph Smith, attorney for the six unidentified female plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The accused, identified in the lawsuit only as "John Doe II" — a student but not an athlete — didn't attend the hearing, Smith said.

That means the hearing, originally scheduled to last three days, stops. The judge will likely issue a decision in one or two months, Smith said.

A hearing under the Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedure Act, which is an option under the university disciplinary process, is separate from the criminal process used in a court of law and may proceed regardless of whether an accuser chooses to file criminal charges. The administrative hearings put cases before an administrative law judge and allow lawyers to represent each side.

Smith had filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Nashville to prevent the hearing, but the motion was rejected in part because the woman had the option not to attend. Smith said his client worried not attending would cause the hearing to be one-sided.

"She has a right under Title IX to a fair and equitable trial, but how could it be fair and equitable if she didn't go?" Smith asked.

Due to student privacy laws, the university will not confirm a disciplinary hearing's existence or outcome, unless a student is found responsible of sexual assault, according to UT officials.

Five of the six plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed last week in Nashville are described as rape victims, and the Jane Doe III case is the only one that doesn't accuse an athlete...

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat  5h5 hours ago
Butch Jones spoke briefly with reporters. He said his team does not have a culture problem.

He also shook his head "no" when asked if Drae Bowles was assaulted as alleged in the federal lawsuit against Tennessee.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat  5h5 hours ago
Butch Jones spoke briefly with reporters. He said his team does not have a culture problem.

He also shook his head "no" when asked if Drae Bowles was assaulted as alleged in the federal lawsuit against Tennessee.

He's "all in"


PP

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat 21h21 hours ago

In a CNN piece, Butch Jones the incidents alleged in the federal lawsuit are isolated and not indicative of the character of his team.

[jbcarol]

The Tennessean ‏@Tennessean 34m34 minutes ago

Live coverage: 16 University of Tennessee coaches hold news conference.



Barnes says Tennessee's AD is as good as anywhere he's ever been.

Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick says the issues are brought up during recruiting. Tells players, "Don't go out alone at night."

"We're in an environment here that is a safe environment."

Warlick: "If I had a daughter, I wouldn't hesitate (to send her to Tennessee)."

Butch Jones: "Everything is about the alleged victims. We feel for them. We hurt for them."

Butch Jones says his team is "embarrassed" and "upset."

Brian Pensky says coaches are speaking on Dave Hart's behalf.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 5m5 minutes ago

Karen Weekly: If our players from the West Coast didn't love it here, why would they stay in Knoxville and get jobs after they graduate?



Had not considered that.

Case closed.

[jbcarol]

Matt Slovin ‏@MattSlovin 13s14 seconds ago

Soccer coach Brian Pensky: "This athletics department and our administration has taken a beaten for a number of years." (sic)

Pensky: "I think there's going to be a perception today that this is just a big Kumbaya lovefest."


In his words

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 3m3 minutes ago

People are free to form their own conclusions -- still working on mine -- but what you just heard is what these coaches have said for years.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AP_Top25/status/702162276963454976

[jbcarol]

Mark Heim ‏@Mark_Heim 58m58 minutes ago

16 #Vols coaches meet w/ media, talk negative recruiting, unfair portrayal of UT after sexual assault complaints http://s.al.com/qh0KDtN

All 16 coaches at the University of Tennessee appeared at press conference Tuesday to re-iterated (sic) that campus culture in Knoxville is as good as it has ever been.

Two weeks after a group of unidentified women sued the school over its handling of sexual assault complaints made against student-athletes, Rick Barnes - the basketball coach - said coaches feel Tennessee is being portrayed unfairly.

"We don't want the stereotype out there that there's something there that isn't true," Barnes.

The federal lawsuit filed Feb. 9 in Nashville alleges that the school has violated Title IX regulations and created a "hostile sexual environment" through a policy of indifference toward assaults by student-athletes.

"It's not who we are, We have great players in our football program...we have a very good culture in place," football coach Butch Jones said, per The Tennessean. "That's why I say we're going to defend our culture.

"We have very good people here. "They are embarrassed by it. They are affected by it."

Athletics direct David Hart was not in attendance. It is being reported he was out of town, according to a school's spokesman.

[jbcarol]

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – An attorney representing the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee said two more football players will be added to the lawsuit.

Attorney David Randolph Smith said the University of Tennessee football players are connected to new Jane Does that will be added this week. Smith did not specify if the players are current or former players.

Six women originally filed the lawsuit after claiming the university created a culture that enables sexual assaults by student athletes. Two women were added to the lawsuit on Monday. Five women say they were raped and one says she was retaliated against after supporting another victim.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – An attorney representing the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee said two more football players will be added to the lawsuit.

he said they were amending the complaint....


PP

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/MattSlovin/status/702622690155368448

[Pulled(PP)pork]

he said/he said, I bet....would be nice to see some proof and get rid of the guy if true


PP

[jbcarol]

Josh Ward ‏@Josh_Ward  1h1 hour ago
Alexis Johnson's attorney tweeted this Thursday: "Alleged victim didn't want to prosecute." She's now a plaintiff in the lawsuit against UT.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/finebaum/status/702642233653198848

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat  38m38 minutes ago
Bowles told me a very different story than the one in the lawsuit, however, he was not under oath when he was talking to me.

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat  49m49 minutes ago
Jones: "The assertion that I ever attempted to belittle or demean a young man for taking action to help another person is absolutely false."

"To the contrary, I did all I could to assist the former student in question. During the course of the judicial process, campus officials as well as the young man's own words, will clearly establish that I have done nothing wrong."

"I will fight all of these false attacks on my character, and I know that once this process has been completed my reputation will be affirmed."

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 8h8 hours ago

Sources told me UT, independent of athletics, investigated Bowles retaliation allegations in 2014, and Bowles said Jones handled it properly

[NoNC4Tubs]

Dustin Dopirak ‏@TennesseeBeat  5h5 hours ago
Butch Jones spoke briefly with reporters. He said his team does not have a culture problem.

He also shook his head "no" when asked if Drae Bowles was assaulted as alleged in the federal lawsuit against Tennessee.

The beginning of the end for Jones... 

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Tennessean/status/702855943516790784

Matt Slovin ‏@MattSlovin 1h1 hour ago

A group of Tennessee students plans to protest outside of AD Dave Hart's press conference this afternoon in solidarity with rape victims.

[NoNC4Tubs]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 5m5 minutes ago

Karen Weekly: If our players from the West Coast didn't love it here, why would they stay in Knoxville and get jobs after they graduate?



Had not considered that.

Case closed.

Because of Impunity...?

[jbcarol]

The Tennessean ‏@Tennessean 18h18 hours ago

#ICYMI via @MattSlovin: @UTKnoxville fans, students reactions mixed in response to lawsuit http://tnne.ws/1mZKEut 

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown
‏@patrickbrownTFP

Jalen Reeves-Maybin with some candid words.

[jbcarol]

Bar Knoxville participant speaks out. He was reinstated:

Greeson: Bar Brawl may leave Vols thin at DT

Paul Finebaum ‏@finebaum 17h17 hours ago

Former UT Captain @MarlonTankWalls says Drae Bowles' story isn't true & "playing time" may have been a motivation

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams Feb 26

I have talked to several attorneys since the sexual lawsuit was filed against UT. One questioned why football player Alexis Johnson

Was added to the lawsuit since UT's process hasn't started. More than one said  UT's student hearings are not biased against victims.

One said: 'Unfortunately UT is apologizing for conduct that many athletes and lawyers have denied occurred.'

Attorney said: 'Grouping all the cases together doesn't give them any more or less credibility and doesn't change the facts of each case.'

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 6m6 minutes ago

Vols team captain Curt Maggitt: "There is no culture problem at #Tennessee" - http://foxs.pt/212h1WW

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tennessee linebacker Curt Maggitt met with the media at the NFL Combine Saturday and answered several questions regarding the turmoil around the Vols program stemming from a federal lawsuit filed Feb. 9 in Nashville alleging that the Vols mishandled assault complaints against athletes. Earlier this week, Maggitt, the Vols team captain, was at the center of more controversy when a complaint surfaced that he had punched a teammate in the mouth after that player, Drae Bowles, had assisted a woman who said she had been raped by two other UT players.

"People that know me, know my character, and I won't shy away from that," Maggitt said.

Maggitt steered clear of addressing the specifics of that incident due to legal matters and said it was for his lawyer to discuss publicly, but the fifth-year senior was very vocal in his belief that Tennessee football isn't what many are making it out to be.

"I'll say this, I'm proud to be a former Vol," he said. "Some things haven't gone the way that we'd like on the field, off the field, but I wouldn't shy away from the university at all," and then added: "There is no culture problem at Tennessee.

"I am passionate about Tennessee and I will always remain that way."

"If, in fact, Mr. Bowles has sworn that my client, Curt Maggitt, punched him at any time ... That is simply a false statement," Knoxville attorney Jeff Hagood said in a statement obtained by SI.com later Saturday afternoon.

In fact, Maggitt credited head coach Butch Jones for improving the culture at UT and helping develop the Vols as men, saying that it's actually improved significantly since the time the linebacker arrived in college under then head coach Derek Dooley...

[Corkscrew Johnson]

Gawd this is painful.  It's like watching Roger Clemens deny taking steroids.  At some point their PTB will realize it's actually better to rip off the bandaid and clean house than continue this charade.   Of course, there isn't a lot of brainpower floating around Sexual Assault U, so I'm expecting this to get a lot worse before it gets better.  Please pass the popcorn.

[jbcarol]

John Brice ‏@John_BriceVQ

#Vols defend culture, deny knowledge of alleged Bowles attack on 'VFL Career Night' (free read):  https://tennessee.n.rivals.com/news/vols-deny-bowles-attack-defend-culture-of-athletics-campus ...

Defending the culture in place at the University of Tennessee and also saying he was never aware of any attack on former player Drae Bowles, Jalen Reeves-Maybin led a trio of Tennessee players Thursday night inside the Anderson Training Center in addressing the onslaught of negative headlines surrounding UT athletics and specifically the Vols' football program.

"That's something that I never was aware of him being attacked," said Reeves-Maybin, a senior linebacker and team leader. "You know, he was a member of our team for the rest of the year. Went to the bowl game with us. We were around him every day. I mean, if a person didn't feel safe I wouldn't think that they would come around 100 guys every day.

"Playing this sport that we play, if you didn't feel safe I don't think a person would constantly put themselves in that situation. I think that speaks volumes for it. He has his side of the story, but he was still around us every day.

"I just feel like truly, deep down inside, everyone knows that there's no hostile environment here. Y'all are reporters, we don't make threats at y'all for asking us questions. Y'all make us mad sometimes when y'all ask questions, but we don't threaten y'all, I don't think. Like I said, we're just going to keep building what we got here. Keep loving up my teammates. We all got each other's back, like a family. If somebody attacks your mom, you're going to have her back. She might be right or wrong, but the purpose should be to help her get better; not to break her down more. When somebody makes a mistake, you want to help them get better and not draw more out of them to make it even worse."

Added recently graduated offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson, "To my knowledge, I don't know anything about that but Drae did stay on the team all the way through the season and I saw him every day at practice and in meetings and he was with us at the bowl site, so I never heard of anything that that was about. But he did stay with us for the next two months, and I saw him every day. He was upbeat and he was enjoying his time that he had with the team."

The players spoke just hours after Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart offered sympathy and a strong defense of the campus environment.

[jbcarol]

AP Top 25 ‏@AP_Top25 3h3 hours ago

Ex-Vol Maggitt's lawyer says client never punched teammate http://apne.ws/1KWXXrh  @stevemegargee

The woman's report led to the February 2015 indictments of former linebacker A.J. Johnson and defensive back Michael Williams, who have separate trial dates this summer.

Bowles transferred to Chattanooga after the 2014 season.

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

[Pulled(PP)pork]

If I still had FB, I would reach out to my former coworker and ask her.....since the guy is practically a son to her.


PP

[jbcarol]

Appeal puts rape case against two former Tennessee football players on hold

The trials for former Tennessee players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams, who were both charged with aggravated rape, have been placed on hold Monday.

The reason for the delay is an appellate court ruled in favor of a pretrial appeal to dive into the legality of social media accounts of witnesses in criminal cases...

A panel of three judges for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals granted an interlocutory appeal in hopes of getting legal guidance on the defense's right to communication via social media and Internet messaging services and how it should be obtained...

The attorneys for Johnson and Williams reportedly feel the accuser's and three witnesses' messages on Facebook, Snapchat and, of course, Yik Yak (sic) are key to proving their clients' innocence...

[jbcarol]

Matt Slovin ‏@MattSlovin 13h13 hours ago

Drae Bowles confirms to @Tennessean that he did not testify to grand jury in Feb. '15: http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2016/02/29/ex-vol-bowles-did-not-testify-before-grand-jury-source-says/81122860/ ... via @tnnaterau @anitawadhwani

Contrary to widespread social media posts, former University of Tennessee football player Drae Bowles did not testify before a grand jury in the sexual assault case involving teammates A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams, according to a source familiar with that investigation.

Bowles and his father, Dexter Bowles, a captain in the Madison County Sheriff's Office, were on the witness list, which was released last year.

Bowles confirmed in an email to The Tennessean that he did not testify.

A person can be included on the witness list but not called to testify before the grand jury, Rob McGuire said.

Bowles claimed in the sworn declaration that UT coach Butch Jones told him he had "betrayed the team" after Bowles helped a friend who said she had been sexually assaulted by Johnson and Williams.

A source familiar with the investigation said the only witnesses to testify before the grand jury were a Knoxville Police Department detective and the woman who said Williams and Johnson sexually assaulted her. Grand jury testimony is secret.

The Knox County District Attorney's Office did not respond to questions about who testified before the grand jury.

Nor will they.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

well, this kind of throws a wrench into ALLVOL's defense


PP

[jbcarol]

Matt Slovin ‏@MattSlovin 14h14 hours ago

Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley and Bruce Pearl are all listed as potential witnesses in Title IX lawsuit: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2016/03/01/ut-plaintiffs-trying-suit-knoxville-would-cause-trauma/81175952/ ...

Plaintiffs in the Title IX lawsuit against the University of Tennessee on Tuesday asked a federal judge to keep the case in Nashville so that they can avoid the "trauma and mental anguish" that would come with holding the trial in close proximity to the football program.

The new filing also states that five of the accused athletes and one non-athlete named in the federal lawsuit were found by the university's own internal investigation to have committed sexual assaults, but were allowed to remain on campus, graduate or transfer to other schools while the sexual assault investigations dragged on in some cases for years. The lawsuit lists six athletes, but an attorney for the plaintiffs clarified that one of the individuals, whose name has been kept anonymous, is a non-athlete.

Those athletes include former UT football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams, who face separate trials for rape. Both Williams and Johnson, through their respective attorneys, have denied the criminal allegations.

...

Former basketball player Yemi Makanjuola, former football player Von Pearson and two individuals identified only as John Does I and II were also found by an on-campus disciplinary process to have committed sexual assault, according to the lawsuit.

Also included in Tuesday's filing is a lengthy list of potential witnesses that includes coaches stretching back many years: former basketball coach Bruce Pearl and former football coaches Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley. Also named as a potential witness is former UT football player and captain Marlon Walls, who last week made critical comments on a radio show about former football player Drae Bowles coming to the aid of a woman who said she had been raped by two of his teammates.

Former UT trainer Jamie Naughright, who claimed that star quarterback Peyton Manning sexually assaulted her, is also listed as a potential witness.

...

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 9, claims that UT has a history of athletes, especially football players, committing sexual assaults and that the university's adjudication process is biased in the athletes' favor.

"UT's policies and affirmative acts created a hostile and discriminatory sexual environment that made the risk of sexual assaults obvious," the plaintiffs stated in the new filing.

[jbcarol]

 Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 18h18 hours ago

Obviously your university facing a large Title IX civil lawsuit is the PERFECT time for state senate to stop funding diversity. Mo. Rons.


Joel Miller@JoelMiller9

@wesrucker247 Your tweet is stupidity...stop embarrassing yourself

[jbcarol]

Dustin Dopirak@TennesseeBeat

Also, think that story is worth reading again if you're trying to learn more about the Title IX case facing UT:http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/no-winners--only-losers-anatomy-of-a-ut-sexual-assault-report-ep-998547514-362399651.html ...
(From March, 2015)

'No winners ... only losers': Anatomy of a UT sexual assault report

Chapter 1 - A two-page report in the spotlight

Chapter 2 - One case, two investigations

Chapter 3 - An unexplained new investigator

Chapter 4 -  Verdict from the final report

Chapter 5 - Athletics and allegations

Chapter 6 - Last effort appeals

Chapter 7 - Case closed, consequences linger

Epilogue - Analyzing the answers

[jbcarol]

WBAL: Multiple controversies surround the football program at the University of Tennessee, Brett Hollander talks with the beat writer Dustin Dopirak for the Knoxville News Sentinel about Peyton Manning and an alleged rape by members of the football team.

Dustin: We do not know a lot as fact. Talked to Bowles in 2015. At the time, he had given the woman a ride home and the practices he missed the next week were due to academic reasons.  His sworn allegations were added to the amended lawsuit filed April 8.  Said Jones said he betrayed the team and then later called to apologize. Jones denied this.  Dustin verifies that Bowles missed a few days of practice at the time. Mentions the dining room incident when Marlon Lane and another player were supposedly restrained by a Strength coach from "going after" Bowles. We are into allegations and denials. Jones: never meant to belittle nor demean Bowles and wanted to try to help him. Alleged rape incident with the two players [tied to this thread] was after Vols beat UK in Nov. 2014.  At no point were Johnson and Williams allowed back on the team.

Dustin on Butch's rep: Player's coach... Well liked in Knoxville. Good program promoter...  A lot canned responses and slogans, one on top of another... Inherited a tough situation from Dooley... Good recruiter... AD Hart trusts Jones "implicitly"... Will not get much more clarity unless Bowles had foresight to secretly record his conversations.

Knoxville News Sentinel has filed a lawsuit to unseal documents.

Dustin on Manning: 20-year-old case. Brought up from a legal standpoint when Jamie filed complaint with Tennessee-based agencies, one of 26 or so complaints against UT.
Jamie won the case with Manning's involvement categorized as a "prank". Manning gave his side in a book. No actual development since then. A 74-page doc was released to Shaun King of the NY Daily News which thrust the figures back into the limelight. SI reported that Greg Johnson, a former roommate of Manning's, who was servicing overseas mostly corroborated Manning's story.  X-Country runner Saxon split the difference on the two sides of the story.

Dustin: Next time I'm on with you, hopefully something a little less nerve wracking to discuss.

[jbcarol]

Check out this article from The Tennessean:

UT coverage reaction gets vile, personal

Acerbic letters. Angry comments. Vile name-calling on social media.

When we write about popular institutions and people, we expect feedback will be quick and intense.

But the vulgar reactions to The Tennessean's coverage of alleged sexual assaults and other problems involving athletes at universities in Tennessee is troubling, not only to the journalists receiving those messages but to the community as well.

Many readers have offered insightful comments, critiques, questions and encouragement for our reporters to continue their pursuit of the story. But those thoughtful readers often are drowned out by others questioning our motives in their bombastic vitriol fueled, in part, by the impersonal ease of using electronic communication.

As journalists, we believe you want us to delve into issues, examine procedures and policies and uncover wrongdoing. We get news tips, we talk with sources and we read documents, often hundreds of pages of material, and determine if we should pursue a story. Where we grew up, where we went to college, whether or not we played sports doesn't factor into our decisions...