2 ex Vanderbilt players found guilty of aggravated rape, 2 await trial

Former Vanderbilt football players Cory Batey and Brandon Vandenburg were both found guilty on multiple charges of aggravated rape in addition to other charges, the result of an incident that occurred on campus in June 2013. A jury came to a verdict on Tuesday and found Batey and Vandenburg guilty on all charges.

The 21-year-old Batey was found guilty of five charges of aggravated rape and two charges of aggravated sexual battery. Vandenburg, 21, was charged with five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of unlawful photography. Vandenburg’s charges stem from criminal responsibility for aiding Batey in committing the acts, according to authorities.

In testimony revealed in Nashville court Wednesday, former Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin said he has not seen video of an alleged rape committed by four Commodores players in an on-campus dorm room in June 2013.

That’s a departure from the comments Franklin, now the head coach at Penn State, testified he made to his Commodores players, whom he told he saw the video and it was “disgusting.”

The defense team representing one of the four dismissed Vanderbilt football players charged with rape claims that key evidence has gone missing. Among the evidence, according to the Tennessean, is the revelation that former Commodores coach James Franklin allegedly contacted the victim, who was connected to the football program, after the alleged incident.

Nashville’s district attorney said in September that there is no evidence of Franklin having tampered with the case.

The information being sought includes text messages sent by coaches that Vandenburg’s lawyers think could provide additional details on what happened. The defense claims “a large amount” of evidence has not been made available, including text messages that may have been sent from coaches to players -- not necessarily a guarantee.

A previous report implicated head coach James Franklin in an alleged cover up, but the district attorney denied those claims.

“Vanderbilt’s athletic administration, in conjunction with its head football coach, today dismissed Chris Boyd from the university’s football team and athletic program,” Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune said in a statement. “The action came after an ongoing review that included information disclosed during a hearing Sept. 13 in Davidson County Criminal Court.

“The review concluded that Mr. Boyd’s admitted actions are clearly inconsistent with the high standards of behavior expected of our student-athletes.”

After a BuzzFeed report accused Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin of helping cover up an alleged rape by four of his former players, the district attorney has refuted those claims, saying there is no evidence of Franklin’s involvement.

The prosecution found Boyd was sent an incriminating text message and deleted it as soon as he saw its contents. The Tennesseean has the content of the text conversation. It’s graphic.

McKenzie and the other three players were booted from the team by James Franklin in late June, less than a week after the alleged incident at an on-campus dorm occurred. The four also were suspended by the university at that time.

The charges are still pending, and the players are due in court on Oct. 16.

Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin has denied allegations made by BuzzFeed that he helped cover up a rape committed by four of his players, calling the charges “baseless,” via The Tennessean.

During his weekly press conference, Franklin addressed the BuzzFeed story, and had harsh words regarding the incident, while still managing to keep his sympathies squarely with the alleged victim.

Three men have been charged with tampering with evidence in the rape case involving four former Vanderbilt football players. One of the pieces of evidence is a video of the alleged incident, according to a report from WSVM TV in Nashville.

Attorney Brett Greenfield, who is representing Joseph Quinzio, one of the men charged with tampering, told WSVM that his client received the video in a text message. Greenfield says Quinzio hasn’t done anything wrong, and that when he saw the video, he was frightened and went to police:

The 21-year-old is also accused in the cover up for defendant Brandon Vanderburg as well as Miles Joseph Finley and Joseph Dominick Quinzio, both California residents. Finley attempted to flee but was apprehended soon after, while Quinzio is still reportedly at-large.

Boyd, who has had his bond set at $25,000, is expected to turn himself in. The bonds for Finley and Quinzio have been set at $150,000 each.

Four former Vanderbilt football players were indicted by a grand jury on Friday, according to the City Paper in Nashville.

Vanderbilt quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels is named a witness in the indictment, Mike Organ of The Tennessean reports. Organ also notes that District Attorney General Torry Johnson said more could be charged in the case and that “the investigation is still ongoing.”

The investigation into the alleged incident, which reportedly occurred in a dorm room on campus, is ongoing. The Metro Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit began its inquiry on June 26. In addition to the football players, six other student-athletes are reportedly involved.

Banks, Batey and McKenzie are all redshirt freshmen who were members of the Commodores’ 2012 recruiting class. Banks and Batey are listed as defensive backs, while McKenzie is a wide receiver. Vandenburg is a junior college tight end who signed with Vanderbilt in February.

While neither Franklin nor Vanderbilt has announced the reason for the dismissal, Vanderbilt has stated that it has notified Nashville police and is cooperating fully with their investigation. A Vanderbilt spokeswoman said that the investigation pertained to student safety and security, but did not elaborate further.

Late Friday, the University announced it had suspended four football players. WKRN in Nashville has reported that the four now-dismissed players, as well as six other student-athletes, are being investigated for “sex crimes” against a student at another school.

Here is the statement from police, via the Tennessean:

Aaron confirmed to the Tennessean that the investigation was related to Vanderbilt’s announcement of the players’ suspensions. No further details are known at this time. The school may take further action, but said that another comment would only come “when appropriate.”