But those officials sat on the information for months while Davis continued to assault and strangle her. In August, Parrish announced that he'd transferred to Memphis. ", Julia Sell posted a statement Wednesday to say she and her husband"would never dismiss or doubt any such allegations.". According to the father, Mike Sell responded, "Couldn't be possible, wouldn't be possible.". Galligan said LSU has hired independent law firm Husch Blackwell to review the university's Title IX policies and procedures. Les Miles and LSU sexual harassment allegations: 5 things to know about settlement, lawsuit, Drake Davis avoids jail time again as judge terminates probation despite second abuse case, LSU Athletic Department official alleges retaliation after Les Miles complaints: report. When accusations are made, we have a legal and moral obligation to report every allegation to the university's Title IX office so due process can be implemented. Fact. Ex-LSU Tennis Player Speaks Out About Abuse by Football Player Edwards made the remarks in response to a question about the USA TODAY investigation during his weekly COVID-19 press conference. USA Today previously reported on allegations made against Guice, who was accused of rape by two former LSU students. As details of the sexual misconduct within LSU continue to come to light, my hope is that LSU Athletics changes course and decides to be transparent and remorseful rather than continuing to create cover-ups and false narratives.". The Davis case so far has largely focused on allegations that he physically assaulted former LSU tennis player Jade Lewis between 2017 and 2018; he later pleaded guilty to battery and. As LSU faces continuing deeper scrutiny into how the university has handled complaints of sexual harassment and violence on campus, multiple current employees have been implicated in the controversies over failures to report sexual harassment and dating violence when they learned of it. USA Today reported that LSU women's tennis coach Mike Sell was informed that Davis punched one of . Ole Miss has a trio of viable options to start in the fall . LSU officials investigated in 2018 whether employees of the Athletic Department had properly handled a student's earlier complaint that a football player had physically abused her, and the investigation found serious failures to report, according to a new report from USA Today. Witnesses said they worried about losing their anonymity because of Bernhard's influence and facing consequence for reporting Davis' actions, which included seriously injuring Lewis. I have in the past and will continue to take appropriate action and comply with reporting protocols. Sell made the claim earlier in the day in a private social media post obtained by USA TODAY. These women would be willing to confirm this information and corroborate my story, as one already has in the USA Today article. On July 28 at around 3:33 a.m., a deputy with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office responded to a call about a domestic disturbance. / LSU head coach Ed Orgeron announced the suspension for wide receiver Drake Davis, 21, during a Saturday afternoon news conference. USA Today reported that Lewis told a team athletic trainer, Donavon White, that Davis punched her in the stomach in May 2017 during an argument. Baton Rouge businessman Jim Bernhard accused of intimidating witnesses in LSU abuse case, "I have not seen the police reports and do not know the identity of the witnesses to whom you refer," Bernhard wrote in an email. USA Today reports that at least nine football players, including Guice and Davis, have been reported to police for sexual misconduct and dating violence since Ed Orgeron was promoted to interim head coach in 2016. Ex-LSU tennis player: Coach lied about abuse In August of last year, Davis was arrested for allegedly beating his ex-girlfriend. The Title IX report states that the woman met with Lewis and Keava Soil-Cormier, assistant director of recruiting operations, shortly after the 2016 incident. College baseball roundtable: Takeaways, most impressive teams, players and what to expect going forward, College baseball rankings: 2023 Top 25 poll, Ohio halts betting on Alabama baseball games, College baseball player hit by stray bullet at game, 2023 NCAA gymnastics championships: Oklahoma repeats and Trinity Thomas ties record. I was betrayed by Coach Sell, and I will not stand by and allow her to deny knowledge of what I went through, when in reality she knew the full truth and simply chose to stand by.. "The statement is a blatant lie. If you have atipor sensitive information you want to share, reach out to USA TODAYSportsatSportsTip@usatoday.com. The university disciplined two of them, and one former wide receiver Drake Davis was not expelled until four months after he was convicted of physically abusing his former girlfriend. She also said that Lewis has not yet been made part of the investigation from Husch Blackwell, the law firm that LSU has engaged to investigate previous missteps in Title IX cases. 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 woman's father said he also reported it to Mike Sell and spoke to him twice in the summer of 2017 about his daughter's relationship with Davis. ", After that, we knew (our daughter) would be beaten up, and we knew LSU would cover it up. In a video posted to Facebook, Stephanie says her son and girlfriend were horse-playing around.. The investigation is expected to be completed in early spring and made available to the public, the school said. "A recent story by USA Today suggests that Mike and I failed to report allegations of dating violence disclosed to us by a parent and former player," Julia Sell wrote. Four members of the LSU Tennis Team separately made Coach Sell aware of these events between May 2017 and August 2018. The Davis case so far has largely focused on allegations that he physically assaulted former LSU tennis player Jade Lewis between 2017 and 2018; he later pleaded guilty to battery and violating a protective order in her case. / Ex-girlfriend of LSU's Drake Davis changes statement regarding - WAFB Her father also spoke with Mike Sell, the co-tennis head coach with wife Julia. What No. When accusations are made, we have a legal and moral obligation to report every allegation to the university's Title IX office so due process can be implemented. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. When an LSU football player admitted to hitting his girlfriend in a text he sent to executive deputy director of athletics Verge Ausberry, bot. Reading from a prepared statement at the beginning of his weekly news conference on Monday afternoon, Orgeron said he wanted to address the USA Today article. There's no place in our society nor on this campus or on our football program for any behavior of this type. LSU has hired independent law firm Husch Blackwell to review the university's Title IX policies and procedures. A second teammate of Lewis also told USA TODAY on Thursday that she had multiple conversations with Sell about Davis abuse of Lewis before June 2018. ESPN reported in August 2018 that the woman reported to LSU police four violent incidents involving Davis during the previous 18 months. The former LSU wide receiver has a history of domestic violence. Former LSU wideout Drake Davis arrested again for allegedly pushing girlfriend, Black mans decapitated remains found after he warned his mom he was targeted by truckloads of white guys, NBA Foundation grant propels dozens of minority teens in Baton Rouge to college, Watching Your Wallet: Benefits of 529 College Savings Plan, Hoping for the next good outcome: First responders reeling after drowning deaths, arrested for allegedly beating his ex-girlfriend, two more counts of battery on a dating partner. LSU should have disciplined its athletes as it did Les Miles Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. "I felt obligated to defend my coach bc we had team meetings about nearly every incident," Von Rosenberg tweeted. The group has said it has offered its help to LSU before, only to be ignored. When an LSU football player admitted to hitting his girlfriend in a text he sent to executive deputy director of athletics Verge Ausberry, both university and federal policies required that Ausberry act on that information and report it to others.But after Ausberry called him, the wide receiver retracted his confession, and Ausberry didn't pursue the matter further. "A recent story by USA Today suggests that Mike and I failed to report allegations of dating violence disclosed to us by a parent and former player," Julia Sell wrote. We have to take this very seriously, Edwards said. Finley said that after the meeting, Lewis called Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar about the drink-throwing incident. "I felt obligated to defend my coach bc we had team meetings about nearly every incident," Von Rosenberg tweeted. The arrest warrant said that Davis, who enrolled at Southern University in October 2019, was alleged to have committed battery on a woman he was dating on four occasions over a period of roughly 13 months. Fact. / Lewis father and one of her teammates told USA TODAY that they had informed Sell and her husband, co-coach Mike Sell, about the abuse at least six months before the Sells told police they learned about it. 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. One of the most athletic players perhaps to ever wear an LSU football uniform Could have gone to college on football, basketball or soccer scholarship Poised for a breakout season in 2018 ", "We are unwavering in our commitment to respond promptly to any reports of misconduct, to investigate these reports in a manner that is fair and equitable, to support victims of sexual assault, and to protect the privacy of our students according to the law," LSU told USA Today in a statement. LSU football coach Ed Orgeron read a statement earlier this week that said: "First, I want to say that we need to support and protect victims of violence and sexual abuse of any kind. A Title IX investigator's interview with then-LSU tennis player Jade Lewis, whose abuse by Drake Davis had been well-documented, was delayed because the scheduling of it, for a reason. WR Allen faces concealed weapon charge, USF RB facing charge for felony domestic battery, Deion 'ashamed' after only 1 HBCU player drafted, Spartans QB Thorne, WR Coleman enter portal, Philly Dawgs: Eagles add Ringo to UGA draft haul, Biden salutes Air Force for fall success over rivals, New Big Ten boss Petitti ready to lead 'new era', College football Future Power Rankings: Defenses, Ranking college football's 10 best running backs for 2023. In the second call, according to USA Today, Lewis' father said he specifically told Mike Sell that Davis had punched her. In March 2019, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Davis pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges: two counts of battery on a dating partner and one count of violation of a protective order. It also will look at the specific cases mentioned in USA TODAYs investigation and whether those were handled properly, Sabourin said. Is Drake Davis on Southern's football team? His lawyer says one thing "I was betrayed by Coach Sell, and I will not stand by and allow her to deny knowledge of what I went through, when in reality she knew the full truth and simply chose to stand by. In an earlier statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday, Sell denied that she or her husband, co-head coach Michael Sell, had knowledge of Davis' alleged abuse. There's no place in our society nor on this campus or on our football program for any behavior of this type. The victim provided pictures of bruising around her neck from the strangulation, according to police. HIGH SCHOOLBig, strong, vertical threat at the receiver position Consensus four-star recruit per Rivals, ESPN, Scout and 247Sports Ranked as the No. We have in the past and will continue to take appropriate action and comply with all reporting protocols. "There is sufficient evidence to prove that Respondent Sharon Lewis violated LSU's [Title IX policy prohibiting sexual misconduct] in that as a Responsible Person she failed to report a potential violation of LSU's Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Policy," reads the report from LSU's Title IX investigator Jeffrey Scott. (WAFB) - Former LSU wide receiver Drake Davis, who was kicked off the team and already charged with domestic abuse, was arrested early Sunday for allegedly grabbing and pushing a woman he was dating, according to officials. Title IX is the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. "That suggestion is false, as such allegations were never disclosed to us. "There's no place in our society nor on this campus or on our football program for any behavior of this type. Copyright 2019 WAFB. Galligan also urged any victims of abuse who either didn't report it or did and believe the complaints weren't handled correctly to contact the university's Title IX office. Kennan Johnson, another former LSU tennis. In March 2019, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Davis pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges: two counts of battery on a dating partner and one count of violation of a protective order. LSU has hired independent law firm Husch Blackwell to review the university's Title IX policies and procedures. USA TODAY did not initially name the woman, Jade Lewis. The former player, Jade Lewis, 21, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, posted a statement on Twitter on Wednesday night in which she accused LSU women's tennis co-head coach Julia Sell of failing to report her allegations of being physically abused by Tigers wide receiver Drake Davis. Galligan acknowledged the anger in an open letter to campus Thursday, saying he and executive vice president Stacy Haynie planned to meet with students and faculty leaders. In the third undated incident, according to the report, "Davis was upset with the victim for waving at a friend. "The LSU Women's Tennis coach, Julia Sell, released a statement claiming she had no knowledge of the allegations made by my teammate and I," Lewis wrote. Davis was ordered not to have contact. ", Police wrote that Davis reportedly told his girlfriend he would "take [her] to court because in Louisiana [she'll] never win and in any other state [she] will.". He was not expelled from LSU until July 2019. I have confidence today that the university is working to address our policies and processes when allegations arise.". In August, Parrish announced that he had transferred to Memphis. "After that, we knew (our daughter) would be beaten up, and we knew LSU would cover it up. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Orgeron was later promoted to full-time head coach, and he led the team to a national championship last season. LSU sophomore wide receiver Drake Davis (14) runs to position during the Tigers' 45-21 lead against Texas A&M on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Tiger Stadium. If that happened, we need to know about it.. Davis then drove back and the victim reentered the vehicle. USA Today reported that was a frequent, but problematic approach within the LSU Athletic Department former Athletic Director Joe Alleva routinely instructed employees to report sexual harassment and Title IX violations in-house to Segar, rather than to LSU's Title IX office. Louisianas governor called on LSU to do a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation following a USA TODAY report that found systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct and dating violence complaints by the school. The Memorial Tower sits on Dalrymple Drive on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. He also admits to violating a court-issued protective order, according to the Advocate. When LSU Police investigated allegations in 2018 that a football player was abusing the tennis player he was dating, multiple witnesses told o. Privacy Policy USA TODAY also found three cases in which, rather than expelling or suspending male students found responsible for sexual assault, LSU allowed them to stay on campus. Davis pleaded guilty in March 2019 to criminal charges stemming from multiple assaults of Lewis. The article also details how "at least seven LSU officials" knew that football player Drake Davis was physically abusing his girlfriend at the time, an LSU tennis player. Ole Miss. He pleaded guilty in district. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; A former LSU women's tennis player says her former coach lied about her knowledge of a Tigers football player physically abusing her between May 2017 and August 2018 and accused the coach of "betraying" her during an investigation.. Parrish was accused of raping a woman outside a bar earlier this year and was suspended indefinitely by LSU. Davis told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2015 that he moved into the Bernhard household in sixth grade and at that point Bernhard and his wife became his permanent guardians. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A judge sentenced him to 18 months of prison and credited him for time served and suspended most of the remaining jail time. Four members of the LSU Tennis Team separately made Coach Sell aware of these events between May 2017 and August 2018. Interim president Tom Galligan said shortly after the USA Today reportthe university was retaining the law firm Husch Blackwell "to conduct an independent, comprehensive review of our Title IX policies and procedures. According to a redacted LSU Police Department arrest report obtained by ESPN, a woman reported four incidents of physical abuse by Davis between May 2017 and June 2018. Finley said the student admitted in the meeting to throwing the drink, but that the student did not report any physical abuse to Lewis. He admitted in court to punching the woman in the stomach and later pushing her onto a couch, which bruised and cut her leg. Current LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg took to Twitter to defend his coach earlier in the day in a tweet that has since been deleted. LSU indefinitely suspended him from the team, and a judge ordered him to have no contact with the woman.