Kansas Football Player Accused of Raping Rowing Team Member in Lawsuit

A class-action lawsuit filed by the parents of former University of Kansas rower Daisy Tackett alleges the school "failed to protect" their daughter from harassment after she was raped by an unidentified football player, according to the Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton.

The lawsuit reportedly states that Tackett—who "asked that her name be used," per Carlton—was raped in November 2014 at a university dormitory "that housed many members of the football team and other athletes."

Carlton added the contents of the class-action suit allege that Kansas misleads prospective students by claiming the residence halls are safe.

However, the school refuted that claim in a statement Friday, per Carlton: "The suggestion that our residence halls are unsafe or that we misrepresent campus safety in our student recruitment is baseless."

Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Tackett said she felt unwelcome on the rowing team after reporting the incident and cited the school's lack of help when it came to providing enhanced safety measures such as escorts to class as a reason for her continued apprehension.

"They made it so difficult to access the resources they had," Tackett said. "For the last three weeks of [the] semester, I locked myself in my room. I would leave just to practice and go to class."

Tackett has since withdrawn from Kansas and lives with her parents in Florida, according to Carlton.

The class-action lawsuit, which by definition can represent several people, reportedly cites eight cases of alleged sexual crimes on Kansas' campus over the past three years, including two that resulted in the arrests of Kansas football players.