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Updated Tennessee Lawsuit Adds New Plaintiffs, Says Head Coach Butch Jones Called Drae Bowles a Traitor for Helping Alleged Rape Victim

Things continue to get worse for Tennessee.

One day after Butch Jones and his fellow University of Tennessee coaches put on a preposterous joint press conference to dispute allegations, made in a Title IX lawsuit, of a campus culture that tolerated and even enabled sexual assault, a new filing alleges that Jones called one player a traitor for helping an alleged victim. According to an affidavit from former wide receiver Drae Bowles, Jones called Bowles and told him he "betrayed the team" for helping a woman who claimed two football players raped her.

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Six women filed a federal suit against Tennessee on February 9, 2016, accusing five Volunteer athletes of sexual assault, while also making the claim that the school created a culture that enabled these assaults. Today, the Tennessean reports, two more women joined the suit with new allegations.

The case has gained national attention, thanks in large part to Peyton Manning's brief inclusion as an example of that enabling culture, and yesterday the school's coaches decided to fight back. Butch Jones and his fellow varsity head coaches went before the press and spoke about how they teach their kids not to go out late at night, or how women's teams are allowed to use the same gym as the football team, and other nonsensical examples about how the culture is just fine down in Knoxville. Jones bristled at the accusations, saying, "I think we're stereotyped. I take it personally." This is how the coaches voluntarily and publicly responded to a lawsuit alleging a serious problem of sexual assault.

Today's updated filing also included the affidavit from Bowles, detailing how he was treated by his teammates and coach for helping one of the case's Jane Does, who claims she was raped by A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams. The suit states that Bowles found the woman crying and hyperventilating in a parking lot after the assault and they called 911 to have an ambulance take her to the hospital. When word made its way back to the team, Bowles was confronted by Curt Maggitt, Geraldo Orta, and Marlin Lane. According to the suit, Maggitt punched Bowles in the face and bloodied his lip. Orta and Lane had to be separated from Bowles twice, and Orta later told police that people from his neighborhood got shot for doing what Bowles did.

From the Tennessean:

"Drae Bowles had acted with the utmost kindness and strength of character toward Jane Doe IV, her friends and Jane Doe V," the plaintiffs claim in their updated lawsuit. "For his kindness and courage he was beaten up, called a traitor by his head football coach and ostracized from the team by Coach Jones and other players.
"Maggitt continued to be touted as a team leader and with Orta and Lane celebrated a bowl victory by posing for cameras flashing (alleged) rapist A.J. Johnson's number 45 with their hands and fingers," the lawsuit says.

After the first phone call from Jones, Bowles broke down and cried. Jones then called back and apologized.

[Tennessean]