Villarrial: St. Francis increases education, awareness for football players in wake of alleged sexual assaults

Aug. 18—LORETTO, Pa. — St. Francis University head football coach Chris Villarrial said on Friday that the program has expanded sexual assault awareness training for players after two alleged incidents involving three team members this year.

St. Francis football players were arrested and charged earlier this year in separate alleged sexual assaults, reported in January and May. Those students were removed from the team and suspended from the school.

Now, with the new season about two weeks away, players and coaches acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations, but are putting their focus on moving forward.

"You learn from it — educate yourself," Villarrial told The Tribune-Democrat on Friday after the St. Francis Football Kickoff Luncheon at the John F. Kennedy Student Center on the Loretto campus.

"Obviously, when things like that happen, it's an embarrassment," he said.

Villarrial said he and the other coaches and football team staff are doing a better job of teaching the players about sexual assault. The coach said the team is "committed to making a difference."

That's coming from the players, he added, not something the coaches are demanding of team members.

"They had a real hard look at it," Villarrial said.

During camp this year, the players watched a film on the seriousness of dating violence, how college students can control their environment and avoiding bad situations.

"I think it really hit home," Villarrial said.

He also said that raising awareness about sexual assault is an ongoing effort for the group, not just yearly, but every month of every semester.

—In January, Loretto Borough police arrested Marcel Mami, 20, of Frederick, Maryland, and Daunte White, 20, of Wharton, New Jersey, accusing the pair of sexually assaulting a woman at an off-campus party in February 2022.

—Then, state police in Ebensburg charged Kendal Nicholas Marks, 20, of Taneytown, Maryland, with assaulting another student in St. Elizabeth Hall on Dec. 1.

Court records show Marks is still housed in the Cambria County Prison, unable to post bail, while Mami and White are free on bond.

Seth Osborne, a senior offensive lineman, said Friday that he "wasn't particularly close to those guys," but that some other teammates took the news hard when they found out about the allegations.

Since then, Osborne said, he and the others have been trying to support each other and be good role models for not only their veteran teammates, but also new players.

According to the 2023 roster, St. Francis is welcoming 59 newcomers to the Red Flash team, with 52 true freshmen.

The loss of seasoned players was a repeat topic of discussion on Friday, as the players and Villarrial pointed to the transfer portal, which allows student athletes to declare their desire to transfer through an online database.

Defensive end Eddie Bierals said during the luncheon that the football team is a family and that players have to be there for each other.

According to U.S. Department of Education, which lists the most recent three years, St. Francis had four reported instances of rape in 2019; three in 2020; and one in 2021.

Comparatively, Mount Aloysius College in Cresson has two incidents listed in 2020 and none for the other years, while the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown has two cases on file for 2019 and 2021, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania has five listed incidents in 2019, three in 2020, and two in 2021.

The reporting of such data is required by the Clery Act, which calls on colleges and universities to provide criminal data to the public.

Previously, the university released a statement addressing the legal actions against the former players, stating that officials at the school take student safety "very seriously."

St. Francis received a $40,000 "It's On Us PA" grant in January that's designed to help schools improve sexual assault awareness, prevention, reporting and response systems on campus.

Another frequent remark from the football representatives during the luncheon was the importance of focusing on the coming season.

St. Francis was 9-3 overall in 2022 and earned its second Northeast Conference title with a 7-0 league record.

The players addressed the success of 2022 and "holes" left by former players, but said they don't want to dwell on those situations.

Emblazoned across the bottom of every page of Friday's program was the hashtag message #RaiseTheStandard.

Villarrial said he's looking forward to getting the new season started and seeing what the team can do.