Ten Minnesota Gophers football players were suspended for the Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl, and the team—after holding a players-only meeting—decided to boycott the football program as a result of the suspension.
“The boycott will remain in effect until due process is followed and the suspensions for all 10 players involved are lifted,” said senior Drew Wolitarsky, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Now, more information has been released. The suspension was levied after the University of Minnesota's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) office launched an investigation in September into an alleged sexual assault that involved football players. Today the EOAA's extensive report—all 80 pages of it—was made public.
Reporter Stefanie Loh summarized the report in three troubling, bite-size pieces.
Here's one passage from the Minnesota investigation into FB sexual assault case. Filming a sexual act w/o consent is a crime in itself. pic.twitter.com/OOafoU6usM
Here's another chilling passage from the #Minnesota FB sexual assault report. Courtesy of @KSTP This isn't looking good for Gophers pic.twitter.com/29s3ThoKgt
Here's the conclusion from Minnesota investigators' 80-pg report into the football sexual assault case. I'll spare you the horrible details pic.twitter.com/3dVLwq6gTI
BuzzFeed's Tyler Kingkade hit on other key points.
Shows that the Minnesota players tried to conceal and hide evidence pic.twitter.com/d76NYucqdb
The University of Minnesota report also has numerous sections noting that the players' stories were inconsistent and changed pic.twitter.com/hxCeBCSjoM
Passages like this one appear frequently showing that the university found the accused players not credible pic.twitter.com/TTFpB2OR6J
The players do not believe the investigation was carried out fairly, and Wolitarsky—who spoke to reporters in front of his teammates—said the players want apologies from school President Eric Kaler and Athletic Director Mark Coyle. The players even “demand that these leaders are held accountable for their actions,” Wolitarsky said.
The Gophers’ coach, who was brought into the players-only meeting toward the end and informed of the athletes’ plan, seems to be in his players’ corner.
Have never been more proud of our kids. I respect their rights & support their effort to make a better world! 〽️🏈
The office recommended varying degrees of punishment for the players, including expulsion for five.
There is not much known about the incident in question—it took place in the early-morning hours after Minnesota’s Sept. 2 season-opener; some of the players who were punished were accused of sexual assault by a female student; others who were punished were involved, but not accused.
There was also a criminal investigation, but it resulted in no arrests or charges.
Wolitarsky and his teammates believe the players have been punished “for things they didn’t do.” Wolitarsky said they are not worried about losing their scholarships.
“We’re all in this together,” Wolitarsky said. “What are they going to do, pull 120 guys off the team? They won’t have a team if that’s the case.”
