VIDEO: Tennessee Coaches Gave Weird Press Conference Amidst Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Six women filed a federal Title IX lawsuit against the University of Tennessee two weeks ago. The lawsuit accused five Tennessee athletes – one former basketball player, three former football players, and one current football player – of sexual assault. It also alleges another sexual assault by a non-athlete at a football team party. The lawsuit claims Tennessee’s adjudication process is biased against victims and enables sexual assaults.

Today, 16 Tennessee coaches, including head football coach Butch Jones, held a joint press conference, defending the athletic department’s culture and treatment of women. Tennessee AD Dave Hart was not in attendance. The university said he was out of town.

Words come up for this press conference: weird, off-putting, circling the wagons. Coaches could not address the issue head on. There was a lot of talk about culture. While purportedly about present athletes being unfairly stereotyped, it felt more like an “all is well” recruiting pitch.

Tennessee is hardly alone. More than 100 schools are under investigation for inappropriate handling of sexual assaults under Title IX. Most athletic departments would give platitudes about their strong culture. Support for women’s sports in no way mitigates the severity of these allegations.

[Video via @philkaplan]