Five of the 10 University of Minnesota football players suspended from the team in the fallout of a student's sexual assault allegation now face expulsion from school, the players' attorney, Lee Hutton, said Wednesday night.
Four other players face a one-year suspension and another could get probation stemming from the Sept. 2 incident. The school discipline comes weeks after a criminal investigation resulted in no arrests or charges.
A woman's claim that she was assaulted in the early morning hours after the Gophers' first game, documented through police reports and court testimony, ultimately led to an investigation by the school's office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
Hutton said the EOAA recommended expulsion for Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson; one-year suspensions from the university for Seth Green, Kobe McCrary, Mark Williams and Antoine Winfield Jr., and probation for Antonio Shenault.
Some of the players were directly accused in the alleged sexual assault; the involvement of others is unclear. Hutton, who is representing all 10 players, said he is working on their appeals.
University President Eric Kaler wrote in a letter to donors Wednesday that football coach Tracy Claeys, with athletic director Mark Coyle's support, decided to suspend the players from the team ahead of its Dec. 27 bowl game in San Diego.
"The need to take actions like this is incredibly disappointing. Unfortunately, these types of situations are difficult for the University because we are limited in what we can say," Kaler wrote. "While we strive to be transparent in all that we do, the fact is that, under the law, our students have privacy rights that we value and respect."
Hutton confirmed that all the suspensions stem from the incident in a Dinkytown apartment after the team's season-opening victory over Oregon State. After the complaint was first reported, the Gophers suspended four players _ Buford, Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson _ for an unspecified violation of team rules. Those players missed three games while police investigated.
They were reinstated when the Hennepin County attorney declined to press charges. The Star Tribune initially did not specify the nature of the investigation because the players were not charged.
The university's statement said: "Due to privacy restrictions relating to student educational data, there is nothing further the University can share."
