Providence Police Investigating Players for Sexual AssaultTwo Freshmen Were Suspended in November From Games; One Transferred to Oregon
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303287804579447511056437846?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories&mg=reno64-wsjPolice in Providence, R.I., are investigating a claim by a student at Providence College who alleges she was sexually assaulted in November by two members of the school's men's basketball team.
Major David Lapatin of the Providence Police confirmed Tuesday that the alleged victim made the allegations to them "a couple of weeks ago" and that the department is investigating two men who were students at Providence at the time the alleged attack occurred. He declined to release the names. But according to a person with knowledge of the matter, the alleged incident police are investigating involves Rodney Bullock and Brandon Austin, two prized freshman players who were suspended in November from playing in games.
The suspensions of Bullock and Austin were announced on Nov. 6, three days after the alleged incident took place. At that time, the school said the players were suspended indefinitely from participating in games for "not upholding their responsibilities as student-athletes." On Dec. 23, the school announced that the suspensions would last through this season.
The person familiar with the investigation said the suspensions stemmed from the school's internal review of the sexual-assault claim.
Bullock remains on Providence's roster and continues to practice with the team. His name was announced with other players as the Friars accepted the Big East tournament trophy Saturday in New York. Austin left Providence in January and enrolled at the University of Oregon, where he joined that school's team which, like Providence's, is heading to the NCAA Tournament. He will be eligible to play in December.
Bill Lynch, an attorney representing Bullock, acknowledged Tuesday that Bullock had been accused of sexual assault. He said the Providence College investigation of the complaint was carried out by a former member of the Rhode Island State Police who leads such inquiries for the school. "After this extensive review and this hearing process in which everyone participated, the penalty meted out was the only one meted by the school, and I think that speaks volumes," Lynch said.
He said his client hasn't been questioned by police.
Austin couldn't be reached for comment. Oregon officials said coach Dana Altman was traveling with his team Tuesday and was unavailable for comment.
In a statement to the Journal on Tuesday, Providence spokesman Steven Maurano said that in November, "we were informed of an incident involving two student-athletes on the men's basketball team. In this situation and all cases like it, our response was immediate and in compliance with our long-standing disciplinary process."
In a separate statement to the Journal, Providence coach Ed Cooley said that he was "saddened" by the situation, but that he acted promptly "to suspend the two young men indefinitely for failing to meet the standards expected of student-athletes while the college's internal disciplinary process took place."
Rhode Island law and the college's stated policy don't require school officials to inform the Providence police when a student files a sexual-assault complaint. The school's policy says that in cases of alleged sexual assault, "complainants are encouraged to go to the police." It says that if a student does go to the police, the school will continue to provide support during the legal process.
Providence didn't offer any further details about the alleged incident or the findings of the internal review. Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), schools are forbidden from releasing any information from a student's record.
News of the alleged assault comes amid what has been a dream season for Providence, a private Catholic college with 3,800 undergraduates. The team won its first conference tournament since 1994. Providence is a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament and will play North Carolina on Friday in San Antonio.
According to the person familiar with the investigation, the alleged assault took place in early November and the alleged victim, a Providence student who knew the players, reported it immediately to campus police. She didn't contact Providence police at that time.
In an email, Maurano, the Providence spokesman, said "I would recommend against drawing any conclusions that our process ended with a finding that our student-athlete was found responsible for sexual assault."
Oregon's athletic department announced in January that Austin had enrolled at the school and would sit out a calendar year under NCAA transfer rules. The announcement stated that Austin "opted to leave the (Providence) program after being suspended for what was termed 'not upholding…responsibilities as (a) student-athlete.'" In the announcement, Altman, the Oregon coach, said he had consulted with Providence coaches before accepting Austin as a transfer. At the time Altman said character was "always something that we consider very strongly. But in talking with their coaching staff, we felt like this was something that was not of a serious nature and we'd be able to move on from there."
Cooley, the Providence coach, said in a statement that he had received a phone call from the Oregon coach regarding the player. "I explained that I could not speak to the details of the suspension but that we were taking the matter very seriously. I cannot speak for that basketball program at another university or why they made the decision they did."
