I wasnt posing for it. If youre not the type to kiss up to her and give her what shes looking for, that ego trip, the former player said, then she had no mercy turning on you and having others turning on you and spreading false things about people to ruin your reputation.. She felt like she could never please her. I have confidence today that the university is working to address our policies and processes when allegations arise.". LSU suspended Parrish for one year. For its part, LSU has denied her allegations. Kenny Jacoby, Nancy Armour and Jessica Luther, USA TODAY, Derrius Guice, right, with LSU coach Ed Orgeron in 2017. Officials in the universitys athletic department and broader administration repeatedly have ignored complaints against abusers, denied victims requests for protections and subjected them to further harm by known perpetrators. Another former LSU tennis player told USA Today that she personally reported Davis' abuse to Julia Sell "six to seven months before that, at least. Hes a baby. Bobby McDuffie / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images file, he was placed on administrative leave and then left the university in 2021, Segar and Ausberry were briefly suspended. 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. Former LSU tennis star says coach 'betrayed' her after reports of The incident occurred during Julia Sells first semester at the helm of the program. - The dual matches scheduled against TCU on February 10 and SMU on February 11 have been canceled without possibility to reschedule, the LSU women's tennis program announced . One former player described Sell as cold and intimidating. In the first incident, the woman went to Davis' house to retrieve personal items and he allegedly punched her in the stomach. She asked, What happened? Then-Louisiana State University Tigers head coach Les Miles looks on during a game in Baton Rouge, La. Additionally, my parents called during that time span to express their concern, and my coaches brushed them off. I just think that honestly they dont care, one of the women told USA TODAY. Women's Tennis - LSU On April 25, the woman told White, senior athletic trainer Micki Collins and senior associate athletic director Segar that Davis had punched her for the second time in the past year, prompting Segar to file a Title IX report, a police report shows. Frankenberger, a senior during Sells first season, suffered injuries while being coached by Sell. I have no idea, she said. Want to share an anonymous news tip? Got a question? And for somebody who has an eating problem, an eating disorder, that really screwed her up, the father said. Four months later, the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office arrested him again for battery of a different dating partner. I dont assume that any of these coaches dont understand that whats happening is wrong, Taylor said. Ex-LSU tennis player: Coach lied about abuse - ESPN At least three other athletes, however, told Sanders that the woman was covering for Davis, records show. The case went before a university hearing panel of faculty and student representatives. Any other coaches around the country who have met her will agree. But the Title IX office never reached out to Brennan, she said. The suspension kicks in onlyif the student commits a second offense, and the school finds him responsible again. Johnson said that Sell later told her the senior ripped up the letter and threw it away, thinking the gesture was funny and childish. But the hearing panel postponed it upon the students appeal, instead allowing him to graduate before the suspension would take effect. In the second call, according to USA Today, Lewis' father said he specifically told Mike Sell that Davis had punched her. Guice is out on bond. But at a football game two weeks after the ruling, Andries saw the frat member in the student section, she said. PHOTO: Rogelio V. Solis, AP, After alleged sexual assaults, LSU students find university difficult to work with. Davis in March 2019 pleaded guilty to two batteries and violating a protective order. Everything Sharon is saying is the absolute truth, and its crazy how much pushback LSU is giving, knowing it all is true, a former worker at LSU, a Black woman, told NBC News on the condition of anonymity. For what? BATON ROUGE, La. As part of a broader crackdown on universities for mishandling sexual violence, the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights launched a sex-discrimination investigation into LSU in August 2015, after a woman filed a complaint saying that no one informed her of her Title IX options when she reported her sexual assault to campus police. She said she dreaded going to practice and playing matches because she felt she wasnt supported, valued or appreciated for who she was. LSU Women's Tennis (@LSUwten) / Twitter She reported her concerns to Ausberry and Segar, neither of whom took action, she said. Washington released him, and he has not been signed by another team. A judge sentenced him to 18 months of prison and credited him for time served and suspended most of the remaining jail time. Official Fan Page for the LSU Women's Tennis Team. Brennan shared the text messages from Dudley with USA TODAY. "However, we are not perfect, and we can, and will, do better," Galligan wrote. Carrington fell 6-7, 6-1, 3-6 Rabinowitz fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 LSU 5, Tulane 2. Three of those players were on the 2012-2013 team. But it is documented that they failed to do their jobs., According to the lawsuit, Lewis also said that before she lost her position, her emails and text messages to Ausberry and Segar on company devices about misconduct issues were erased. I dont know why certain people are being protected by the board of supervisors. 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. At the end of the night, Dudley dropped her off at her apartment, which was in the same complex where Guice lived. So yeah, I cant be here.. Ohio State men's tennis has dominated the Big Ten's regular season, but conference tournament success was elusive. 11 Texas, giving the program its highest ranked win in six years . You let your team down this year, she said Sell told her, though the former player didnt lose a single SEC match. DeCuir did not respond to a request for comment. The conversation was not revealed until late August, when police found it after obtaining a search warrant for Davis phones. The school would not confirm or deny if it disciplined two other players accused of dating violence defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Ray Parker citing privacy interests. Both told officers it was a verbal argument that had not turned physical. 1 LSU. She straight up said to him, I dont believe her, the former player said. I was a mess, she said. By then, hed assaulted the tennis player at least three more times, including strangling her twice, the woman told police and USA TODAY. "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. But the details of how LSU handled complaints against the other seven, including two who played key roles on its 2020 national championship team, remain largely secret. The report classified these violations as less serious in nature, but part of the larger lack of institutional control allegations in the case. Theres no doubt about it that Julia did that constantly from the time that [the player] arrived on campus criticized her weight.. Former LSU tennis player Jade Lewis is accusing LSU women's tennis coach Julia Sell of looking the other way while multiple people reported in 2017 and 2018 that a football player. They just didnt care, or they didnt believe her.. I think that it made her doubt herself. I was like, What are you doing?, And then I got up and just ran down the hallway into Sharons office and just started crying. Her contract, which pays her $115,000 a year, expires in June 2023. Additionally, LSU investigators did not interview Davis for more than two months, records show. Decades of misconduct allegations at LSU come under scrutiny in $50 million suit Sharon Lewis, an LSU alum and former employee, claims the several complaints she filed over 20 years led to her. Two chose to use their full names. The players were happy to have a young, female coach and expected her to encourage and lead them. They drank heavily, to the point that she was vomiting, she said. Hes going to be here the next couple of years, she said. The same day, Segar accompanied Brennan to the campus police department to file a report, which Brennan did. Just a bad, bad person, one former player said. LSU dropped courts three and six to Tulane. In another statement, LSU interim president Tom Galligan wrote that the university "takes every report of sexual assault or violence seriously" and noted that the school investigates each and tries to support those affected. Johnson graduated in May 2019, and in November 2020 she marched with the LSU community to protest how the university and athletics department handled reports of sexual assault cases. They kept saying there was nothing they could do.. I couldnt believe it. Lewis insists in her lawsuit that she reported several other cases of inappropriate behavior by coaches and players to Ausberry and Segar. The womans roommate, a volleyball player, said that Davis had, in fact, strangled the woman that night. The most comprehensive coverage of LSU Women's Tennis on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters. Former LSU tennis player says her coach lied about knowing of abuse I was crying because I was honestly so glad it was over, Johnson said about her graduation in an interview. But they also have ruined my life when all I did was my job. Ex-LSU Tennis Player Speaks Out About Abuse by Football Player He described the calls as tattling., I think it hurt her mental health to be treated like that by Julia [Sell], he said. They told me I had to sit and stay in it, said Andries, who is still at LSU. For obvious reasons, I did not do that, Andries said. LSU declined to make Sanders available for an interview and did not answer any questions about itshandling of the case. I did my job. I think theyre making decisions that are best for the success of the program, and theyre making the decision to put the safety and well-being of other students behind a players ability to play on a Saturday afternoon.. LSU athletics under fire over report it failed to adequately respond to I do not feel even remotely a part of LSU anymore because of her.. But LSU told her shed have to wait to access her police report until the statute of limitations ends six years from the time of the incident. Thats kind of all I remember, she said. As the season progressed, she found Sell to be a compulsive liar., She was never in my court. At least thats what Julia Sell said in a video posted to Facebook in May 2017, shortly after Johnson learned that her dream school had awarded her a scholarship. Godchaux was not charged in court; Parkers case is pending, the DA's office said. 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, the statement said. The player said Sells criticism of her weight was a constant occurrence in front of her and one of her teammates, who the player said had a medical condition that caused her to gain weight. LSU didnt do the right thing back in 2016, but I was hoping they would do the right thing now, Brennan said. They gave Sanders her nameand also suggested he speak to the fraternity president from the time. She was also elected president of the National L Club a powerful alumni organization for former athletes and others associated with sports where she remains in her role. One of Lewis attorneys, Larry English, has asserted claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, in federal court against school officials. But Frank retaliated against me, tried to get me fired. DeCuir blocked Ausberry, Segar and anyone else from LSU from testifying because, he said at a hearing last year, it would be inappropriate for the individuals to speak, given the status of LSU athletics administrator Sharon Lewis $50 million suit against the school, according to LSUs student newspaper, The Reville. Schools are not oblivious to the fact that even if they can defeat a lawsuit, its still a drain on resources, Nesbitt said. When contacted by a reporter, White hung up the phone after a question about protocols for reporting abuse. Andries said she asked the school to notify her professor about the case, to explain her absences. Andries requested to swap out of the class she shared with him, or take it online, she said, but LSU refused. The frat member, who was a friend, had invited her as his date. For more than a year, people at the highest levels of the Louisiana State University athletic department fielded complaints about their prized running back, Derrius Guice. Mia Rabinowitz - LSU HoopGurlz 2025 Terrific 25. haileyvanlith. After LSU womens tennis Co-Head Coach Julia Sell gained national spotlight for allegedly ignoring reports that one of her players was a victim of rape, former LSU tennis players have come forward to describe the toxic culture of Sells program. She was never giving me any kind of encouragement.. Elisabeth Andries, a junior at Louisiana State University, reported an LSU fraternity member for sexual assaulting her. Morris appeared in 34 games for Baylor in the 2017-18 season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Finally, in June 2018, according to the report, "Davis was upset about a text message conversation and thus went to the victim's apartment. ESPN reported in August 2018 that the woman reported to LSU police four violent incidents involving Davis during the previous 18 months. Women's Tennis Matches Versus TCU and SMU Canceled - LSU Quarterback Anthony Richardson leads . At least seven LSU officials had direct knowledge that wide receiver Drake Davis was physically abusing his girlfriend, a different LSU womens tennis player, but they sat on the information for months, while Davis continued to assault and strangle her. The former player, Jade Lewis, 21, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, posted a statement on Twitter on . Share this investigation. Privacy Policy She kind of acted like a child.. Without my permission.. A few days later, Brennan said, a co-worker told her a nude photo of her was circulating around the football team. According to the father, Mike Sell responded, "Couldn't be possible, wouldn't be possible.". "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. This, despite the fact that Brennan never pressed charges nor does she intend to and the campus police had never shared the case with prosecutors, the DAs office said. We provide education, training and resources to combat violence, sexual misconduct, and inequality, Orgeron said in his statement. My whole time there, the team was always very divided, she said. It was real aggressive. 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. The woman said the same to LSUs lead Title IX investigator, Jeffrey Scott, in a May 21 interview, according to the report. Delpit denied the allegations through his attorney. The womans roommate called police around 2 a.m., when she woke up to the woman screaming, the reports show. Parrish, who transferred to the University of Memphis in August, denied theallegationthrough his attorney. Once entering the victim's room he strangled her, punched her in the stomach, and grabbed her ear which caused her earring to be pulled from her ear; bleeding from the ear ensued." She provided police with a photograph of the bruise, according to the report. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. In fall 2012, a player called the police after witnessing a teammates boyfriend commit domestic violence during a Saturday night team outing at a Tigerland bar, the players said. Lewis and Segar weren't the only ones aware of the photo. I was so embarrassed that all of these people knew.. In fact, a top LSU athletics administrator had been sitting on a confession from Davis for four months. Taylor Tops Tennessee Triple Jump Record At LSU Invitational She has a motion hearing next week in Louisiana to defend against the schools efforts to have her case dismissed. . She transferred to Rutgers (where C. Vivian Stringer was head coach), but had to sit out a year due to the NCAA's then transfer rules. The lawsuit is ongoing. If I did something wrong, I would hear about it, obviously, she said. She said Sell frequently dangled it over her head, threatening to take it away if she didnt meet expectations. 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.". 2R (1998, 1999) Wimbledon. The heart of Lewis case is this: The Husch Blackwell investigation concluded that Lewis was the only LSU staff member who reported complaints, and Ausberry and Segar were reprimanded for not acting on them. LSU is responding after a women's tennis player was caught on video using a racial slur. Ultimately Davis pleaded guilty to two assaults; prosecutors dropped other charges against him in exchange. French Open. He did not return phone and social media messages from a reporter. That is, until her superiors denied getting a single one of them, she said. 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. November 19, 2020, 6:39 AM. Judge dismisses race discimination suit filed by former LSU tennis Seven women filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Louisiana State University, its leadership, athletic fundraising arm and several top administrators on Monday, alleging they conspired to. The first time LSU staff followed the law and school policies in reporting Davis was the following year, in April 2018, when he punched the woman again, this time in the ribs. Named Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week twice (2018 and 2020) 2x member of the . Lewis said she felt ostracized and dismissed by some administrators in Baton Rouge. They told me, Its best to just let him graduate and then you never have to see them again, the woman said. One former player, who spoke to USA Today with her experience of how LSU handled her rape case, told the Reveille that she reported her rape when she went into rehab. If she could go back, Johnson said, she wouldnt accept the scholarship. I think that was partially due to her.. No NFL team has picked him up. 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. LSU in July 2019 expelled Davis for violating its student conduct code and Title IX policy on multiple occasions during the summer and fall of 2018, disciplinary records obtained by USA TODAY show. Her professional career at LSU ended Feb. 5 when she was fired during what the school called a vast restructure.. To her surprise, it was her scholarship offer. LSU AD wanted Les Miles fired after sexual misconduct allegations But USA TODAY found no evidence that White, Mike Sell or Julia Sell informed anyone. She would have secret meetings with them and talk badly about us, Frankenberger said. When Mulkey was coaching at Baylor, she pursued one of the nation's top players in guard Hailey Van Lith of Wenatchee, Washington who ultimately signed with Louisville. In a statement, LSU said it does not tolerate sexual violence of any form. 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 . Sell sent her a transcript of the event and told her they still announced her part of the transcript, even though she wasnt there. An institution has 90 days to address the NOA findings. Angel Reese excited to team up with Hailey Van Lith at LSU - New York Post LSU Women's Tennis - Home - Facebook In early September, Sanders who had served as the schools Greek life director before becoming student advocacy and accountability director in 2016 issued sanctions against the frat member: a meeting on anger management and healthy relationships, a course on ethics and decision-making, and a deferred suspension for four semesters. The interview focused only on the June 18 incident, even though the woman had reported other assaults by Davis months earlier. Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith has committed to the LSU Tigers, per her Instagram page. The team shrieks and embraces her in a group hug. And then it progressed to: Lets go to dinner to discuss recruiting. I said, Frank, wheres your wife? The victim provided pictures of bruising around her neck from the strangulation, according to police. Johnson, who grew up with a single mother and lived with her grandparents, needed that scholarship to attend LSU. Johnson called the alleged lie malicious and disgusting., Any drama that did go on throughout the team, Lewis said, it was Julia [Sell], probably stirring the pot.. The lawsuit alleges that Wilson exposed himself to her in her office in 2013 and to two other Black women. Yet at each step of the way, LSU officials either doubted the womens stories, didnt investigate, or didnt call the police, allowing Guice to continue his football career.
