The federal lawsuit filed by six women against the University of Tennessee on Tuesday yielded some more disturbing details.
According to The Tennessean, the lawsuit states that Volunteers players exacted a measure of revenge against former UT receiver Drae Bowles for helping a woman who claims she was raped by then-Tennessee players A.J. Johnson and Mike Williams.
The lawsuit says that Bowles — who transferred to Chattanooga following the 2014 season — transported the woman to a hospital the same night that the alleged rape occurred in November 2014. He also stood by her decision to report the rape to authorities.
The woman, a student-athlete, detailed a meeting that she had with executive senior associate athletics director Jon Gilbert, senior associate athletics director Mike Ward and her coach. While she was meeting with them, she got a message from her roommate saying that he/she was presently watching multiple football players jumping Bowles.
She informed athletics officials of that incident, of which she claims athletics officials were present, and she told athletics officials and university administrators of another one days later when Bowles was allegedly assaulted a second time.
According to the lawsuit, Williams said UT defensive back Geraldo Orta had “a hit” out on Bowles. The Valdosta, Ga. native allegedly told University of Tennessee police he felt “Bowles betrayed the team and that where (Orta) came from, people got shot for doing what Bowles did.”
Former Tennessee star linebacker Curt Maggitt was also mentioned in the lawsuit, which stated that Orta told police that Maggitt confronted Bowles in the team locker room “before the team was instructed by head coach Butch Jones not to talk to him and before Bowles was given time away from the team.”
Williams and Johnson are awaiting their own individual trials on June 27 and July 18, respectively, for two counts each of aggravated rape.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
