Amelia Rayno Says Former Minnesota AD Norwood Teague Sexually Harassed Her

A sportswriter has come forward with a first-person account of sexual harassment against former University of Minnesota Athletic Director Norwood Teague.

According to Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy, Teague resigned Friday morning "after two non-student university employees reported him for sending sexually harassing texts and inappropriate touching during and after a university event two weeks ago."

Amelia Rayno of the Star Tribune wrote in detail about an incident that occurred between her and Teague on Dec. 13, 2013:

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There was a going-away party for a university communications director who had resigned. As the Star Tribune's University of Minnesota's basketball writer, I attended, as did Teague, whom I had covered since his arrival in April 2012. I spoke with him in passing and eventually left. As I was walking out, Teague texted me and asked if I wanted to get a drink.

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Rayno said she agreed, noting that "having a drink with a source is not at all unusual," and that her gender didn't play a role in the decision because she was doing it strictly for the purpose of her job.

On this December night, Rayno said Teague began making advances toward her after learning she had just come out of a relationship.

"Suddenly," Rayno wrote, "in a public and crowded bar, Teague tried to throw his arm around me. He poked my side. He pinched my hip. He grabbed at me. Stunned and mortified, I swatted his advances and firmly told him to stop. He didn't."

She said Teague followed her out, got into the cab with her and forced himself on her to the point where she was "pressed against the door," and when she tried telling him to stop, he laughed.

Following the actions of that night, Rayno said things got worse. "When I had to call Teague for a quote, he would often afterward say, 'You owe me.'" Rayno also provided several text messages sent from Teague when she stopped talking to him—outside of a necessity for her job: "Ur no fun anymore. U seem obtuse. Ur radio silent. U think I'm gross. Ur giving me a complex. U hate me, I'm toxic."

In April 2014, Rayno alerted her editors about Teague's behavior, and they provided her with multiple options. She chose to wait and see if it continued before taking action:

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It was my decision to make and I chose what I believed was self-preservation. I didn't want my career interrupted because of a powerful man's misdeeds. Making a formal complaint could have resulted in me losing access at the university. It could have forced me to take another beat, perhaps out of sports; to change my career path in a way I never planned.

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Rayno said she considered instances of "editorializing and victim-shaming" that can happen at times before reaching her decision. After Teague resigned Friday, Rayno came forward.

"Friday's accounts from the two nameless women harassed by Teague were a lot of things," Rayno wrote. "They were vulgar. They were troubling. They were gross. One thing they were not is something new. For me, it was more of the same, all over again."

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler responded to Star Tribune editors' request for a reaction to the story:

"

I am disappointed to learn of an additional report of sexual harassment against the former director of Gopher Athletics. Our commitment to ensuring a healthy learning, working and living environment at the University extends beyond our faculty, staff, and students. I deeply regret to now learn that a reporter covering the University was also subject to this type of deplorable behavior and I extend a sincere apology to Ms. Rayno.

The two reports that led to Friday's resignation were the first of their kind to be reported to the University's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office and President's Office, and the University took swift action. With this latest report, we will look into whether any university employees who have a responsibility to report these kinds of concerns were aware of the incidents.

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The Star Tribune also reached out to Teague, but he did not respond.

Brandon Stahl of the Star Tribune reported the University of Minnesota and Virginia Commonwealth paid a combined $300,000 to settle complaints against Teague that were unrelated to Rayno's story.