Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PRICE — As part of an investigation into allegations of sexual assault in a residence hall on the campus of Utah State University Eastern, administrators have suspended all team activities for the men's basketball team.
Officials aren't calling the players suspects, but they are saying there is a connection between some of the basketball players and the sexual assault that took place on Sept. 4.
"We received information as part of the investigation that some members (of the team) might be involved," said USU executive director of public relations Tim Vitale. "Some of the details that came to light caused us to decide that while we consider the basketball program very important, we also care about other things much, much more."
Vitale said all team activities — including any kind of official meetings — are prohibited until investigators feel it's appropriate.
"We'll allow the investigation to go forward and see if some details we've been provided are true," Vitale said. "That said, we're expecting the investigation to move forward quickly so we can resolve this quickly."
While the decision to suspend all team activities may appear to be a drastic move, Vitale said Friday that the gravity of the case made the move necessary.
"We understand comprehensive action against the basketball team includes potentially vilifying people who had nothing to do with this at all," he said. "But the seriousness is such that we think it's important to make a strong statement."
The alleged sexual assault was reported on the afternoon of Sept. 4 by a student who told school officials that a "physical altercation" had occurred, according to USU-Eastern Vice Chancellor Greg Dart.
"The first reports were rumors," Dart said. "As we started looking into those rumors, identifying the victim, over the course of about an hour period, it became clear there was a sexual assault."
There were reports that multiple men may have been involved in the incident. Campus police and the school's Title IX office were notified and both investigations are ongoing.
The alleged victim told KSL Wednesday that she believes she was drugged because she has no memory of the assault. Counselors were sent to her apartment by the school, and they convinced her to go to the emergency room, where she underwent a rape exam and was treated for multiple injuries. She's pieced together some of what happened thanks to eyewitnesses, friends, counselors and police.
The woman said she was caring for an intoxicated friend at a residence hall when she drank what she thought was juice from a cup the woman said was hers.
"I remember one thing after that, and everything else after that is black, like nothing," she said.
When she awoke late that afternoon, she was wearing clothes that didn't belong to her and she was bleeding from scrapes on her forehead, shoulder, back, knees and feet. Her body was covered in bruises and she had visible bite marks on her chest and one of her breasts. She said her shoulder was so sore she could barely move it.
Her bra, shirt, shoes and phone were all missing. A friend went to the residence hall where the assault allegedly occurred and found her bra and shirt in a garbage can and her shoes in the closet of one of the rooms.
I remember one thing after that, and everything else after that is black, like nothing.
–USU-Eastern student
She said it has been frustrating — and confusing — to be unable to remember what happened to her. When she first woke up, she thought she must have suffered the scrapes and bruises during a fall.
School officials sent an email to all students that night alerting them to the reported sexual assault and offering them tips about how to say safe. It also provided opportunities for any student to seek help from the school's counselors.
Dart said student-athletes attended a seminar earlier this week and were provided with information about sexual assault, including how to prevent or report incidents. The athletes were also asked to pledge to stay drug- and alcohol-free.
"We do safety training next week, during freshman orientation and with our athletes, that talks about tips on how to prevent sexual assault, and in the event of a sexual assault, or any kind of assault, what avenues there are for reporting," Dart said. "The first three weeks are dedicated to what we can do to help keep our students safe."
The alleged victim said she's grateful that someone reported the incident. She has suffered from anxiety since the incident and wakes up in the middle of the night. She believes she knows two of those who attacked her and she has struggled to overcome fear and panic upon seeing them around the school's small campus.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Vitale said the college is considering bringing in extra police officers to help interview students in order to expedite the investigation.
"There are a lot of people to interview," he said. "We're doing that right now. … It won't be weeks. We're hoping to get this concluded and the team can get back to work."
Contributing: Mike Anderson
Email: adonaldson@deseretnews.com Twitter: adonsports
