Former Colorado Assistant Coach's Ex-Girlfriend Sues over Alleged Abuse

Pamela Fine reportedly filed a lawsuit in United States District Court on Wednesday against former Colorado Buffaloes assistant football coach Joe Tumpkin and several other high-ranking school officials after she said that Tumpkin abused her physically and mentally during their relationship.

According to ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura, Fine sued Colorado president Bruce Benson, head football coach Mike MacIntyre, athletic director Rick George and chancellor Phil DiStefano, in addition to her ex-boyfriend.

Benson, MacIntyre and George all reportedly "face claims of negligence and civil conspiracy, while Tumpkin is being sued for claims of assault, battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress," per Bonagura.

On Jan. 6, BuffZone.com's Mitchell Byars reported Tumpkin's ex-girlfriend had obtained a restraining order against him after she alleged "he physically assaulted her multiple times over the course of their three-year relationship."

Tumpkin, a former safeties coach, was subsequently placed on administrative leave and resigned three weeks later.

Shortly after Tumpkin's departure from the program, Sports Illustrated's Michael McKnight published a piece in which Fine—under the name Jane—explained she had told MacIntyre about the abuse during a phone conversation.

"I told [MacIntyre] we had discussed the abuse," she said. "I told him that I didn't want Joe to go to jail. I didn't want to hurt Mac or Trisha or the CU program.... I told him I was sorry for bringing this to him at an exciting time, but I was terrified that Joe was going to kill himself or someone else."

Fine also detailed MacIntryre's response.

"He said he had never had a situation like this come up before and he wasn't exactly sure what to do," Fine said, per McKnight. "He said he was getting ready to get on a plane to Denver and he would find out what he needed to do legally. I started to cry and told him I don't want the police involved because of what it would do to Joe. I just needed someone to know—someone who could help him get well—because he is dangerous."

Colorado later hired the law firm WilmerHale to investigate the school's handling of the allegations.

The inquiry concluded that DiStefano, MacIntrye and George "did not intentionally cover up the information they received or break the law," but it did note that "mistakes were made," according to ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg.

DiStefano was ultimately suspended 10 days without pay, while MacIntrye and George were ordered to undergo Title IX training and contribute $100,000 each to organizations that deal with domestic violence.

On Wednesday, Fine's attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said that while his client didn't initially intend to bring legal action against Colorado, she decided to do so because "it became clear to her that the University had no intention of taking the matter seriously," according to Bonagura.