As the Oregon Ducks football team prepares to meet Ohio State for the national championship of college football, another athletic program at the state school is facing media scrutiny of a different kind.
The men’s basketball team is facing a civil lawsuit regarding a sexual assault allegedly involving three former Ducks’ players. One of the lawsuit’s allegations is that one of the players involved, Brandon Austin, had been suspended from his former college because of another sexual assault accusation.
The school’s basketball coach, Dana Altman, a defendant in the sexual abuse lawsuit, has stated that he knew Austin had been suspended from Providence College prior to transferring to the University of Oregon but that he was unaware of the reason for the suspension.
According to the Oregonian, “The alleged sexual assault took place in the early hours of March 9, as players and students celebrated the Ducks’ victory against No. 3 Arizona in the regular season finale. Five weeks later in April, the Lane Country District Attorney declined to charge Brandon Austin, Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis, citing ‘conflicting statements and actions by the victim’ while acknowledging that the Eugene Police Department’s investigation revealed there was nonetheless ‘no doubt the incidents occurred.’
A victim of any sexual trauma may exhibit behavior that is inconsistent. However, sexual assault is a crime and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The statement offered by the Lane County District Attorney raises more questions and offers answers and is troublesome. We will no doubt learn more about the facts of the case as the civil lawsuit progresses.