|
 The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday and first reported by The Tennessean,
claims that the university violated Title IX regulations and created
a "hostile sexual environment" through a policy of indifference
toward assaults by student-athletes.
Title IX is a federal statute that bans discrimination along gender
lines at schools that receive federal funding.
The suit cited nearly a dozen instances dating back to the mid-1990s
of former student athletes accused of sexual assault, including star
quarterback Manning who won his second Super Bowl title earlier this
month, with the Denver Broncos.
Neither Manning's agent nor the Broncos were immediately available
for comment.
The lawsuit alleges that in 1996, when Manning was quarterback for
the Volunteers at the University of Tennessee (UT), he placed his
naked genitals on the face of a female athletic trainer while she
was examining him for an injury.
Manning, who was never the subject of a police investigation into
the incident, has denied the allegations and said that he was
instead "mooning" a team mate.
The trainer, Dr. Jamie Naughright, later sued Manning after he
described her in a book as being "vulgar mouthed".
Malcolm Saxon, the player alleged by Manning to have been the target
of the "mooning", refuted Manning's account in documents filed on
Naughright's behalf in the case.
Naughright's lawsuit against Manning was settled in 1997 with the
agreement that she leave the university.
WIDE MEDIA EXPOSURE
The allegation that Manning sexually assaulted a female athletics
trainer while in college was first reported in 2003, but gained wide
exposure in social media networks on Saturday when it was described
in detail in a New York Daily News column.
The filing of the lawsuit comes at a time when Manning, a future
Hall of Fame quarterback who is a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, is
being investigated by the league over allegations that he had human
growth hormone sent to his house.
[to top of second column] |
Those allegations surfaced in December in an Al-Jazeera report that
said Manning's wife had received deliveries of HGH, which is banned
by the NFL, while he was recovering from neck surgery during his
tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
Manning, 39, has denied the allegations, which have since been
recanted by the key source of the report.
Meanwhile, Manning continues to consider whether he will retire from
the game after he helped steer the Broncos to a 24-10 Super Bowl
victory over the Carolina Panthers a week ago.
Manning, who revolutionized the position while winning a record five
NFL most valuable player awards, said he wanted some time to reflect
after playing in what many expect to be the final game of his
storied career.
For most of his 18-year career, Manning has been a marketing dream
for the NFL and also one of the United States' most popular
athletes.
Chosen by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick in the
1998 NFL Draft, he projects a folksy charm with a disarming southern
drawl that helps mask an off-the-charts football IQ and a fiery
competitiveness.
Manning, who can be seen on television pitching everything from Papa
John's Pizza to Nationwide Insurance, ranked number 32 on the Forbes
2015 list of highest paid athletes, making nearly as much in
endorsements ($12 million) as salary ($15 million).
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Larry
Fine)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
