Lawsuit Alleges Arizona Football Players Gang-Raped Female Students, Staff
February 23, 2018
An amendment to a lawsuit filed against the University of Arizona reportedly says the school "promoted the success of the football program at the expense of the safety of female students on campus."
According to the Arizona Daily Star's Caitlin Schmidt, the amendment alleges players on Arizona's football team gang-raped female students and staff and that the school did not take the necessary steps to intervene.
"Although UA received reports of this sexual harassment and violence, little, if anything, was done to stop it and/or take prompt action to redress the harassment, particularly if corrective action might have negatively impacted the potential success of the football program," the lawsuit reads, per Schmidt.
The lawsuit, which was initially filed in October, alleges the school violated Title IX laws and did not take the steps necessary to protect its students against former running back Orlando Bradford after it was alerted to his abuse of multiple women.
Bradford was sentenced to five years in prison in November after he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony aggravated assault.
Former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, who was fired in January, was also issued a $7.5 million sexual harassment claim by his former administrative assistant, Melissa Wilhelmsen.
Wilhelmsen later filed a separate $8.5 million suit against the University of Arizona alleging "she was subjected to assault and sexual harassment by Rodriguez, and a hostile work environment within the athletic department," per Schmidt.