https://www.yahoo.com/news/louisiana...225815714.html
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards 'deeply troubled' after LSU investigation, urges a thorough review
Louisiana’s governor called on LSU to do a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation” following a USA TODAY report that found systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct and dating violence complaints by the school.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday that he was not prepared to recommend anyone lose his or her job. But he said he was “deeply troubled” by the USA TODAY investigation. Published Monday, it found that officials in Louisiana State University's athletic department and broader administration repeatedly ignored complaints against abusers, denied victims’ requests for protections and subjected them to further harm by known perpetrators.
“We have to take this very seriously,” Edwards said. “We cannot tolerate any instances where someone might willfully turn a blind eye to credible allegations of this kind of violence and abuse. If that happened, we need to know about it.”
Edwards made the remarks in response to a question about the USA TODAY investigation during his weekly COVID-19 press conference.
Interim LSU president Thomas Galligan announced Monday that the school has hired law firm Husch Blackwell to do an “independent, comprehensive review of our Title IX policies and procedures.” The review is to focus on “the entirety” of the Title IX process, from the time allegations are reported to when they are investigated and adjudicated, according to LSU spokesman Jim Sabourin.
It also will look at the specific cases mentioned in USA TODAY’s investigation and whether those were handled properly, Sabourin said. The investigation is expected to be completed in early spring and made available to the public, the school said.
USA TODAY found that LSU ignored two rape allegations against former star running back Derrius Guice, as well as a complaint that he took a partially nude photo of a woman without her consent and shared it with others, a felony in Louisiana.
Including Guice, at least nine football players have been reported to police for sexual misconduct and dating violence since coach Ed Orgeron took over the team four years ago, records show. The university disciplined two of them, and one – former wide receiver Drake Davis – was not expelled until four months after he was convicted of physically abusing his former girlfriend.
Derrius Guice, who played at LSU from 2015 to '17, has been accused of rape by two former students.
At least seven LSU officials had direct knowledge Davis was abusing his girlfriend, an LSU women’s tennis player, USA TODAY found. But those officials sat on the information for months while Davis continued to assault and strangle her.
USA TODAY did not initially name the woman, Jade Lewis. But she identified herself in a statement Wednesday night in which she refuted tennis coach Julia Sell’s claim that she was unaware of the abuse. Sell made the claim earlier in the day in a private social media post obtained by USA TODAY.
Lewis’ father and one of her teammates told USA TODAY that they had informed Sell and her husband, co-coach Mike Sell, about the abuse at least six months before the Sells told police they learned about it.
“This statement is a blatant lie,” Lewis wrote. “... 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.”
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards 'deeply troubled' after LSU investigation, urges a thorough review
Louisiana’s governor called on LSU to do a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation” following a USA TODAY report that found systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct and dating violence complaints by the school.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday that he was not prepared to recommend anyone lose his or her job. But he said he was “deeply troubled” by the USA TODAY investigation. Published Monday, it found that officials in Louisiana State University's athletic department and broader administration repeatedly ignored complaints against abusers, denied victims’ requests for protections and subjected them to further harm by known perpetrators.
“We have to take this very seriously,” Edwards said. “We cannot tolerate any instances where someone might willfully turn a blind eye to credible allegations of this kind of violence and abuse. If that happened, we need to know about it.”
Edwards made the remarks in response to a question about the USA TODAY investigation during his weekly COVID-19 press conference.
Interim LSU president Thomas Galligan announced Monday that the school has hired law firm Husch Blackwell to do an “independent, comprehensive review of our Title IX policies and procedures.” The review is to focus on “the entirety” of the Title IX process, from the time allegations are reported to when they are investigated and adjudicated, according to LSU spokesman Jim Sabourin.
It also will look at the specific cases mentioned in USA TODAY’s investigation and whether those were handled properly, Sabourin said. The investigation is expected to be completed in early spring and made available to the public, the school said.
USA TODAY found that LSU ignored two rape allegations against former star running back Derrius Guice, as well as a complaint that he took a partially nude photo of a woman without her consent and shared it with others, a felony in Louisiana.
Including Guice, at least nine football players have been reported to police for sexual misconduct and dating violence since coach Ed Orgeron took over the team four years ago, records show. The university disciplined two of them, and one – former wide receiver Drake Davis – was not expelled until four months after he was convicted of physically abusing his former girlfriend.
Derrius Guice, who played at LSU from 2015 to '17, has been accused of rape by two former students.At least seven LSU officials had direct knowledge Davis was abusing his girlfriend, an LSU women’s tennis player, USA TODAY found. But those officials sat on the information for months while Davis continued to assault and strangle her.
USA TODAY did not initially name the woman, Jade Lewis. But she identified herself in a statement Wednesday night in which she refuted tennis coach Julia Sell’s claim that she was unaware of the abuse. Sell made the claim earlier in the day in a private social media post obtained by USA TODAY.
Lewis’ father and one of her teammates told USA TODAY that they had informed Sell and her husband, co-coach Mike Sell, about the abuse at least six months before the Sells told police they learned about it.
“This statement is a blatant lie,” Lewis wrote. “... 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.”
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