Lawsuit says Butch Jones called former Tennessee WR a 'traitor'
UPDATE Wednesday, Feb. 24 10 p.m. ET
Tennessee coach Butch Jones released a statement about the allegations from former wide receiver Drae Bowles.
The assertion that I ever attempted to belittle or demean a young man for taking action to help another person is absolutely false. To the contrary, I did all I could to assist the former student in question. During the course of the judicial process, campus officials as well as the young man's own words, will clearly establish that I have done nothing wrong. I will fight all of these false attacks on my character and I know that once this process has been completed my reputation will be affirmed.
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A Wednesday filing in a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee alleges coach Butch Jones told former wide receiver Drae Bowles that he "betrayed the team" and was a "traitor" in November 2014 for coming to the aid of a woman allegedly sexually assaulted by two former Tennessee players.
Bowles is currently a wide receiver at Chattanooga. The filing was part of a lawsuit filed earlier in February by six women who claim the university created a "hostile sexual environment" with inaction towards sexual assault. Two more women joined the lawsuit on Wednesday.
As part of affidavits in the new filing, Bowles was also allegedly punched by Tennessee linebacker Curt Maggitt for helping the woman. From the Tennesseean:
Sophomore Drae Bowles “broke down and cried” after speaking with his coach, the lawsuit said.
Jones later called Bowles back to apologize for calling him “a traitor to the team,” according to the suit.
The two calls with Jones came after Bowles was punched in the mouth and bloodied by teammate Curt Maggitt as retribution inside the UT locker room, according to the new filing.
Jones held a press conference along with other Tennessee coaches on Tuesday and said that the school did not have a culture problem. Jones denied that Bowles had been assaulted by teammates – an allegation that was part of the initial filing – and said the school takes all accusations seriously. When the U.S. Department of Education started a sexual assault investigation at Tennessee in 2015, six members of the 2014 team had been accused of sexual assault.
Bowles is named in the suit for helping a woman allegedly assaulted by A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams. The two are currently facing rape charges.
The filing also detailed two incidents where Bowles was allegedly assaulted or threatened by teammates. In addition to the incident with Maggitt, he was allegedly confronted by two teammates in the dining hall who were held back by the team's strength coach. The dining hall incident allegedly happened a day after the one with Maggitt and Geraldo Orta and Marlin Lane were the teammates who allegedly confronted Bowles.
Two of the plaintiffs allegedly witnessed the incident in the dining hall.
Two plaintiffs, Jane Doe IV, who claims she was assaulted, and her roommate Jane Doe V, who witnessed the fight in the dining hall, say the treatment and shunning of Bowles played a major role in their decision to leave UT out of fear for their own safety, according to the lawsuit.
“Drae Bowles had acted with the utmost kindness and strength of character toward Jane Doe IV, her friends and Jane Doe V,” the plaintiffs claim in their updated lawsuit. “For his kindness and courage he was beaten up, called a traitor by his head football coach and ostracized from the team by Coach Jones and other players.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
