An amendment to a lawsuit filed against the University of Arizona alleges that members of the school’s football team gang-raped both female students and staff, according to a report from the Arizona Daily Star.
Lawsuit claims University of Arizona football players sexually assaulted staffers and students, per report
The claims are part of an amendment to a federal lawsuit already filed against the university.
The original lawsuit, which was filed in October, is centered around former University of Arizona running back Orlando Bradford, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison in November for aggravated assault against two women. The suit claims that the university knew Bradford was abusing women, but did little to stop it.
The amendment claims that the university put the the football team’s success before the safety of women on campus. According to the Daily Star, which uncovered details around the initial claims:
The recent amendment to the federal lawsuit, one of two filed against the school by Bradford’s victims, says the program encouraged staff to disregard federal laws surrounding domestic violence and sexual assault, and “promoted the success of the football program at the expense of the safety of female students on campus.”
The permissive culture in Arizona’s football program led to “rampant” sexual harassment and sexual assaults, including the gang rapes, the lawsuit says.
According to the Daily Star, the lawsuit claims that the University did not protect the Title IX rights of the first woman involved in an incident with Bradford.
In January, head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired due to sexual harassment claims from a university employee.
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