Tulsa Facing Title IX Lawsuit Over Hoops Player

((HT: ESPN/KTUL-TV))

Pat Swilling was a tremendous linebacker for Georgia Tech and the New Orleans Saints...

His son is a promising basketball player at Tulsa University. But the younger Swilling is in the middle of a firestorm at the moment involving a lawsuit filed in a federal court Monday that claims the school failed to protect a female student from an individual with a past of alleged sexual indiscretions.

Swilling, in the suit, is detailed to have been in three previous incidents involving attempted or alleged sexual assaults- one in Idaho at his previous school, one at Tulsa, and another incident in town off campus.

It's a heavy list of accusations and part of a larger investigation that ESPN is doing...

Paula Lavigne discusses with Cary Chow


And Lavigne's story is must reading hyah on all three previous instances and the holes in the system in both Idaho and Tulsa...

In late April, the Tulsa DA's office didn't press charges against Swilling. Swilling's attorney, Corbin Brewster, said the allegations made "were not credible."

President Stedman Upham said, in a prepared statement released to the media, that Tulsa stands by its Title IX practices:

"The safety of University of Tulsa students, faculty and staff is our top priority at all times. The university has a robust policy to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault in a thorough and deliberate manner.

Although this legal filing has been widely distributed to media outlets, the lawsuit has not been served on the university. As such, we have not yet been able to thoroughly review the lawsuit; but, from media reports, it appears misinformation already is developing regarding our handling of this matter.

This process was carried out fully and completely in the case in question, including communicating the official policy to all parties involved. As soon as the incident was reported, university administrators immediately began the investigation process.

We conducted our investigation in a fair and timely manner, cooperating fully with local law enforcement.

TU's policy on sexual violence is far-reaching; and although investigation is a critical component, our plan to protect our students extends well beyond. This policy includes a proactive approach to ensuring student safety, which is reviewed and updated annually, if not more frequently. During the previous academic year, the university has taken steps to further protect students, including limiting access to campus, implementing a Rape Aggression Defense program and coordinating an initiative called iStand to fight sexual violence.

TU's policy on sexual violence was developed using recommendations from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. Leading this effort was our Dean of Students assisted by university legal counsel, the Title IX coordinator and members of TU's Sexual Violence Prevention and Educational Programming Committee (commonly referred to as the Advocacy Alliance), which is comprised of faculty, staff and students from the following departments: Student Affairs, Counseling Services, Campus Security, Athletics, Psychology (including the Institute for Trauma, Adversity and Injustice), and Housing and Residential Life.

As TU welcomes its freshman class, these students will learn what other TU students and alumni already know, which is their safety and well-being is and remains our foremost priority."