Report: Complainant to boycott Title IX hearing regarding Antonio Callaway
By: Gridironnow.com staff
A woman who has accused two Florida football players, including star wide receiver Antonio Callaway, of sexually assaulting her in December reportedly is boycotting a Title IX hearing because the university appointed a former UF athlete and current booster-club member to adjudicate the case.
The woman has accused Callaway and Treon Harris of assaulting her in December. The school suspended both players in January; Callaway remains suspended but Harris has since transferred. ESPN.com reported that Harris’ transfer was part of a plea deal related to the Title IX case. Callaway has maintained his innocence.
In a letter obtained by ESPN.com, the woman’s attorney informed Florida’s deputy general counsel that the complainant, her parents and five witnesses will not attend Callaway’s student conduct code hearing, which was scheduled for today in Gainesville, Fla.
ESPN.com reported that the woman didn’t report the incident to police but did report it to Florida’s student conduct and conflict resolution office. Gainesville Police and University of Florida Police confirmed to ESPN that they didn’t have reports related to the alleged incident.
“This has been a difficult decision but as I previously indicated to you, the fact that UF has hired a football booster to adjudicate a sexual assault allegation against one of the team’s own football players is a fundamentally skewed process in which (the complainant) refuses to participate,” said the August 5 letter to UF deputy general counsel Amy Hass.
UF officials appointed Jacksonville attorney Jake Schickel to serve as a hearing officer. Schickel has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from Florida, and is a former track athlete at UF. He also is a Gator Booster, an organization that raises money for Florida’s athletic programs.
“To be clear, [the complainant] remains very willing to participate in a fair and unbiased disciplinary process. Mr. Calloway’s behavior has had a great impact on her life and continuing as a student at UF is of great importance to her and her future,” the letter said. ” … Quite frankly, short of finding a relative of Mr. Calloway, I’m not sure how UF could have found someone with more conflicts (than) Mr. Schickel.”
ESPN.com reported that UF officials, citing confidentiality laws, declined to say whether it routinely hired Shickel to oversee student judicial hearings. Schickel did not respond to interview requests from ESPN.com.
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