COLLEGE ATHLETES BEWARE: Data Shows You are More Likely to be Title IX Accused
College Athletes in recent years were about three times more likely than other students to be accused of sexual misconduct or domestic violence in complaints made at Power 5 conference schools, according to an analysis by Outside the Lines. That finding is based upon data from Title IX complaints covering allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, sexual coercion, stalking or retaliation collected from 32 Power 5 schools that provided records in response to requests for complaints against athletes over the past six years. A key finding from the data obtained by OTL: Awareness and use of Title IX offices have increased dramatically in the past six years, with many coordinators and industry experts citing high-profile athlete cases as a driving force. Since 2011, of 256 lawsuits brought by accused students against their universities alleging unfair treatment, about 20 percent of the claims have been made by athletes, said Samantha Harris, with FIRE…Attorney Mr. Cannarella, represented a soccer player at Coker College. The athlete was arrested and charged with rape and kidnapping, but the charges were dropped when the woman who had accused him admitted to making it up. The woman was arrested and charged with filing a false police report. A Title IX investigation also found no merit to her claims. “Nice-looking athletes tend to attract more women. … They’re just attracted to the big man on campus,” Cannarella said. “They consensually involve themselves with that athlete. And then if they feel rejected after anything that goes on between the two of them, and they get angry about it, they have a tendency to misrepresent what happened between the two of them.”
espn.com By Paula Lavigne
