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What you need to know about university's sexual harassment case, Student criticism on handling of sex harassment allegationsmounts, Clearing of prof accused of sex harassment focus of faculty complaint, Asian women in tech are fighting deep-rooted discrimination, Amber Tamblyn pens NYTop-ed on sexual harassment, SoFi CEO to leave immediately after sexual harassment claims, How Brie Larson tackles subtle sexual harassment in 'Unicorn Store', Eric Bolling is latest Fox host to be ousted, Navy's top admiral kept spokesman after sex predator warning, Women can't crack the glass ceiling when it comes to tech boards, Fort Benning drill sergeants suspended amid sexual misconduct claims, Bro culture is under attack, but women say it's far from tamed, How to spot and deal with horrible bosses, Country music biz has mistreated women for decades, One-fifth of Americans find workplace hostile or threatening, Google manifesto spotlights enduring sexism issues, 'Boys will be boys' gets a new spin in Silicon Valley sexism scandal, Women of color in STEM face greater risks of gender harassment, Fox Sports boss Jamie Horowitz is out amid sexual harassment inquiry, Sexual harassment scandal shakes influential venture capital world, Uber board member makes sexist remark during meeting on sexism, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 1:02 Criminal indictments unsealed Wednesday in the kidnapping of two University of Rochester football players add multiple counts of predatory sexual assault as well as firearms charges. About three hours into the attack, Kollias says they threw him in the shower. Buffalo held 20 consecutive training camps at St. John Fisher from 2000 to 2019. Rebecca Handsman, another student in the class, echoed Canale's description of Jaeger's demeanor. Kollias told ESPN they were lured to a home for what they thought was a Saturday night house party. "I try and exercise as much as I can to keep my mind off the negative thoughts," Kollias says. Kyle claims the statement "caused substantial embarrassment and emotional suffering" and says the statement makes it "extremely unlikely" Kyle "will find another job in the coaching field." But prosecutors say the campus officers did not immediately connect Smith's drug heist to the missing men. Sept. 12:SoFi CEO to leave immediately after sexual harassment claims Sept. 12:How Brie Larson tackles subtle sexual harassment in 'Unicorn Store'. Once inside, he found blood on the walls and his furniture in disarray. "He was just telling the student body kind of very vaguely of an incident that occurred on school campus property," Kollias says. Kollias, a Chicago native, played mostly special teams for the Yellowjackets, a middling squad that typically hovered around .500. The University of Rochester settled a long-running legal case over alleged sexual harassment within its brain and cognitive sciences program for $9.4 million, parties announced Friday. football players who were kidnapped and tortured. Our main athletics facilities are the Goergen Athletic Center and Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex, which include courts, fields, weight rooms, and an aquatic center. Kyle says he got a ride back with the two sophomore players. Florian Jaeger will be teaching one upper-level elective course. As he was already a senior at the time of the attack, the University of Rochester allowed him to graduate without returning to campus. In 2017, 9 faculty and students filed a sexual-harassment and retaliation suit against the University of Rochester. Miller declined. with its first win of the year, defeating Alfred State 30-17! Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He had learned that his cousin had been attacked with a hammer in a drug deal that went bad. "That's what really helps me cope with the negative energy, along with playing the piano. Kyle also repeatedly declined request for comment before publication of the Outside the Lines investigation, which featured surveillance video showing the victims of the hammer attack covered in blood as they left an on-campus apartment building. The men knew that Kollias, who is white, was not involved in the drug robbery, but they still seemed to have plans for him. Greene has been the head coach of the Yellowjackets since . "And theres nobody else in the department who does what he does." As he sat in the folding chair they'd put into the grimy shower, Kollias, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound University of Rochester senior defensive end, realized he had no idea where he was, who the men were or even what they wanted from him. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Trustees appointed a special committee of its members Sept. 19 and hired special investigator Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and past chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Three months later, in March, Isaiah Smith faced a judge for his role in orchestrating the drug robbery that started it all. University leaders believe keeping that together is important. The students were subsequently found. Football - University of Rochester Athletics The official Football page for the University of Rochester Yellowjackets The official Football page for the University of Rochester Yellowjackets The official Football page for the University of Rochester Yellowjackets Skip To Main Content Pause All Rotators Greene also spoke to Kyle about setting their troubled player up with a criminal defense attorney. At Smith's sentencing hearing, Judge Melchor E. Castro told the former linebacker, "I suppose you couldn't realize what events you set up when you did this." For the Outside the Lines story in June, Miller told ESPN in a written statement that Kyle acted alone when he bailed out Smith. "He was one of the best players on the team. Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise. In a series of text messages, the teammate and a woman named Samantha Hughes agreed to meet up around 1 a.m. Hughes had reached out earlier that week on Facebook, when she tried to "friend" both of the football players living in the seventh-floor apartment. Two of Smith's teammates and friends allegedly gathered the bail money -- about $1,500 -- for Kyle, who ultimately signed the papers for Smith's release. The Democrat & Chronicle reports Daniel Kyle has filed a lawsuit accusing the university of wrongly claiming he acted alone when he provided bail for Isaiah Smith, a UR student and former. Mr. Kyle did not pay any money, from any source, to secure Isaiah Smith's bond. But the university did not move the students or, Kollias says, explain to them exactly what had happened in their apartment. His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for "reputational harm (and) emotional distress"allegedly caused by the school. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Samantha Hughes and Leah Gigliotti pleaded guilty and testified against the others. The University of Rochester denied Outside the Lines' request to interview campus police. The University of Rochester is looking forward after an independent investigation into sexual harassment claims against a professor. College football has qualities beyond being in the public eye that propel it almost to the very top of the scandal scale. Between 30% and 50% of those relate to sex or gender as the protected . The letter was in response to the Jaeger case but not limited to it, said the society's executive director, Alyson Reed. ", "The kids who were the better athletes were definitely on a longer leash," the other teammate says. A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging the University of Wisconsin System failed to protect women from the husband of a UW-Whitewater chancellor who was found to have sexually harassed . Instead, a university spokeswoman emailed a statement. Kollias didn't know. But faculty at other institutions have been reaching outand publicly voicing support for the affected students, Bushong said. "Celeste is so accomplished and so young, and she does a lot of what I want to do. A former assistant football coach is suing theUniversity of Rochester over an ESPN special about two URfootball players who were kidnapped and tortured in 2015. They thought they were about to make a deal. "But they said, 'We don't want money; we want blood.'". Subscribe for free to Inside Higher Eds newsletters, featuring the latest news, opinion and great new careers in higher education delivered to your inbox. "The entire house had shaken, and there was this huge flash of light," Kollias says. ", In another call, Kollias asks, "There is no way I could get the $1,500 just transferred over to the debit card for withdrawal?" "We kind of got into a little argument about, like, why they weren't letting them go," Hughes later testified. Brad Beckwith 5 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 BU. The lawsuit alleges "Smith made one or more calls to U of R football coaches from Monroe County Jail to discuss his arrest and bail" but never called Kyle while incarcerated over Thanksgiving weekend in 2015. We have now settled our case. The first image on the video is a thin man in a red sweatshirt and a plastic American flag mask. She said they had been together at a party but that she'd left when she became sick from drinking too much. He said his client's lawsuit is a way "to reveal the truth and clear his name," because "the university's statement singled Mr. Kyle out and suggested that he acted without the knowledge or approval of any other member of the administration or coaching staff.". University police sent out a . Judah Thomas with 7 tackles and 2 INT! Three were sentenced for watching over the captives and acting as lookouts. Greene has been the head coach of the Yellowjackets since 2006, with a 50-60 record. We had great labs, great students and great colleagues," said Cantlon, who said that she, too, is looking for faculty positions at other universities. I still got up somehow onto one leg and got to the door, and I just remember looking out and seeing two girls on the outside holding the door closed. Burnham is a senior offensive lineman; Bronson is a senior wide receiver. The video is only 30 seconds long. Watch E:60's full-length feature on former University of Rochester defensive end Niko Kollias at 9 a.m. He could still see the roll of duct tape nearby, covered with the bloody fingerprints they'd left behind when they taped his hands and feet together before slamming the rebar and heavy metal pipes down onto him, over and over again. @UMichFootball | @bpkorn00 | @R_AdamsFootball | @grant_newsome . Professors are advising students not to pursue educational or employment opportunities at U of R. Woman with inherited eye disease first NY patient to get eye implant in Rochester. Police were especially concerned that their phones were off and their Find My iPhone apps disabled. Detectives told Ciminelli about Smith's communications in the very early hours of Sunday morning. It was as bad as a horror movie. Aug. 10:Google manifesto spotlights enduring sexism issues July 21:'Boys will be boys' gets a new spin in Silicon Valley sexism scandal. That vulnerability arises because doctoral candidates, particularly those in scientific fields, spend years working in close proximity and under the supervision of one primary faculty member,according to a study published in May in the Journal of Legal Education titled "Mapping the Title IX Iceberg: Sexual Harassment (Mostly) in Graduate School by College Faculty., "You're working with a professor that really determines everything about your graduate career," said Stephen Ferrigno, a fourth-year grad student in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department at the University of Rochester. "My sister is in grad school right now (at a different university), and she said that the same stuff happens," Handsman said. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream. But who were they? He laughed when a judge sentenced him to 155 years in prison. #GoJackets #d3fb. she asked. He applied to 28 colleges and universities after graduation, court papers show. The story of the Cowboys scout and prospect son Dallas just drafted, Kidnapped and tortured: One college football player's unbelievable story, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Not wanting to go alone, she brought Leah Gigliotti with her. Irrera claimed that while pursuing his doctorate in music arts from 2009 to 2014 he rejected unwanted advances from teacherDouglas Humphreys, chairman of the piano department. Crashing at his buddy Lydell Strickland's house at the time, Rivera shared the few details he knew with his 26-year-old roommate: All of the attackers were African-American men; it went down in the seventh-floor student apartment; and it involved a University of Rochester football player. But within minutes, they pulled into the driveway of a two-story house. All rights reserved (About Us). She testified that she had only one real concern, that "Lydell was going to kill us if we told the police anything. For now, those plans required him to stay alive. Visit ESPN to view the latest Rochester Yellow Jackets news, scores, stats, standings, rumors, and more "I've been around a long time. Our labs were thriving. The University of Rochester settled a long-running legal case over alleged sexual harassment within its brain and cognitive sciences program for $9.4million, parties announced Friday. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). ", Kollias says he believes the Rochester coaching staff knew Smith was tangled up with drugs but chose to look the other way. Jaeger sent the Rochester Democrat and Chronicleemail Friday afternoon in response to several inquiries: University of Rochester officials found the initial harassment claims without merit. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. University of Rochester undertakes 50 or 60 investigations each year of employees accused of discrimination and harassment. University trustees appointed a special committee of its members back on Sept. 19, and hired high-powered special investigator Mary Jo White, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New . In the case at the University of Rochester,Kidd said it took her nearly a decadeuntil she was a tenured faculty member with the support of colleagues to be in a positionwhere she felt safe enough to come forward. Their captors had boarded up the windows, making it impossible to tell whether it was light out, but Kollias kept track of time by listening to the football games he could hear through the walls. A police investigation into complaints by more than 20 women that they were forced to commit a variety of sexual acts with University of Oregon football players over the past two years has led. In the video, Rivera is holding a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle and standing over Kollias' teammate lying facedown in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor. In recordings obtained by Outside the Lines, Kollias asks a Charles Schwab customer service agent to help him transfer money to his checking account. According to the lawsuit, university communications officials toldthe sports networkin a statement that Kyle acted alone and that "no member of the administration, nor any coaches or University staff members asked Dan Kyle to sign for Smith's release.". "He's like, 'Let's go. According to prosecutors, they carried with them 4 pounds of marijuana. Kollias was unable to walk. The official 2022 Football schedule for the University of Rochester Yellowjackets Sept. 14:What you need to know about university's sexual harassment case Sept. 13:Student criticism on handling of sex harassment allegationsmounts Sept. 11:Clearing of prof accused of sex harassment focus of faculty complaint. By this time, Rivera had bailed, leaving his friend who lived in the house to watch over the captives. The ESPNspecial said Kyle signed a $15,000 bond "to bail Smith out of jail." ", Gigliotti put it more simply: "When you are high and drunk, you really don't care." I've seen a lot of things. Ready to work out? "I made the conscious decision to live, survive and overcome the challenge I was faced with," Kollias says. Smith didn't live there, but he knew the building well: Two of his football teammates lived in a seventh-floor apartment. He wanted to clean it and his skin underneath. FINAL! Crouching in front of Rivera is a man with distinctive dreadlocks, wearing both a camouflage shirt and pants and a black and white plastic skull mask. He says the leg always hurts -- all the way from his knee to his hip -- but the pain is worth it. Off the field, though, Kollias avoided Smith. That's when they said they were going to kill us. ", The side entrance of 22 Harvest St. after the Rochester police SWAT team blew the door off. Investigators are looking into why Kollias and Ewo were targeted. Nine people went to prison for the kidnapping and torture of Kollias and his teammate. "It was special. We ranked college football's top 31 spring transfers: Who tops the list? ); : Speaking on the condition of anonymity because he had committed a crime by purchasing the drugs, the former player says Smith told him "he had connections in New York City" and could "get whatever I needed. She also isco-principal investigator on a $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant to combat sexual harassment on college campuses and in her field of earth and environmental science. Reserve space in the River Campus Sports Complex. Smith used it to lead the men into the room. Using Smith's own words and the surveillance video, police collected enough evidence to charge him with burglary, robbery and assault. Kollias appeared in an ESPN "E:60" special this summer to talk about the incident, which led to six people being charged with a total of 84 counts, including kidnapping, gang assault, firearms charges, robbery and sexual assault. University police sent out a statewide alert over the weekend that seniors Ani Okeke Ewo, of Aurora, Ill., and Nicholas Kollias, of Northbrook, Ill., had been missing since 2 a.m. Saturday. "I sat down on this leather couch and just the next thing I know is five to 10 masked men just come out with bats and pipes and knives and guns. Prieskorn is a top-100 prospect, per 247Sports, and is ranked as the No. In Seligmans meeting with the Faculty Senate, also Sept. 19, he said the forthcoming investigation would be "highly unbounded," opening the door to also taking on a separate sexual harassment and retaliation complaint emanating from the university's Eastman School of Music. After returning from their meeting with campus police, the two women grew increasingly worried about what they'd gotten themselves into. He put all of the officers investigating the kidnapping and the hammer attack into the same room to share what they knew while simultaneously mobilizing his SWAT team. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. April 28, 2023. The officers quickly arrested at least two people who were watching over the football players. The NCAA initially began their investigation after it. He showed campus police the Facebook friend request he'd previously ignored from Samantha Hughes. He had previously lived for a brief time in the house, but now it was inhabited by a few of his friends. Aug. 25:Women can't crack the glass ceiling when it comes to tech boards Aug. 23:Fort Benning drill sergeants suspended amid sexual misconduct claims, "I didn't actually know Jaeger too much before this year, but I do have multiple friends who were his advisees. "I just wanted to survive. In the science, technology, engineering and math fieldsparticularly, students look at individual faculty and what research they are doing. The cameras showed Smith meeting up with three men near the apartment building. "Until finally, towards the end, we started getting some details which led us to 22 Harvest Street.". But she did provide written responses to several questions, including the statement about Kyle acting alone when he bailed Smith out of jail. The organization announced Monday that it will hold summer practices on the Pittsford campus in 2023. His femur was shattered; he'd felt it explode after they shot him there when he tried to run. "And that's when I started getting nervous." "The department is broken, and the question of how it is revitalized is of urgent consequence," Seligman said. The plaintiffs are committing a portion of the settlement to individuals whose careers were negatively affected by the hostile environment described in the lawsuit.. Itprovided a collaborative home for seasoned experts and rising stars whose interests danced the line of the two fields. And the gaping cuts where they had sliced the webbing between his toes. Police Chief Michael Ciminelli, a Rochester native with 12 years of experience with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, says he believes not being able to transfer money on the weekend might have saved Kollias' life. "I'm in very bad shape at this point. "As we are searching for these kids, there were hours and hours of lies, untruths, misleading statements," Ciminelli says. They'd later say that, originally, they thought Rivera and Strickland were just going to rough up the football players. "But it was a little weird, especially on the first day.". An assistant University of Rochester football coach who lost his job after the kidnapping and torture of two players is suing the school for comments that a university spokeswoman made to Outside the Lines for an investigation that detailed the harrowing story. The players would be physically, sexually and psychologically tortured for at least 40 hours, according to prosecutors. Police say Smith then led the four men with the weed into the apartment building. Says Violette: "We just had fun and played to win.". "It was an accomplishment that everyone on the team . When Smith was arrested in 2015, Bronson was the team's quarterback and all three players were sophomores. What becomes of his career going forward is unclear. Former coach sues U. Rochester for defamation, What's going on at Colorado? "He had the size; he had the speed; and he just changed the game for our team," Kollias says. Someday we might have, but that day came earlier than expected.". E:60 showcases the best in longform television journalism. He also ordered anyone related to either crime to be pulled in for questioning, including Smith, Hughes and Gigliotti. The NCAA alleges that all but one of the 18 highest-level violations in Tennessee football 's NCAA case were committed by former coach Jeremy Pruitt and his wife, staff members and a . Other officers also found the rifle, hidden in the attic. I'm not wearing a T-shirt, and all these casings are extremely hot, and we're just flailing and they're yelling at us to stay still. It was small money, but he was one of the best football players on the team, and he could definitely be intimidating. He said his client's lawsuit is a way "to reveal the truth and clear his name," because "the university's statement . University of Rochester football coach Scott Greene has announced that the 2017 season will be his final year as the team's head coach. The harassment tends to be not just verbal but physical, and offenders often are serial harassers, according to the survey in which more than 150,000 students responded. "Things happen, like drunk driving," he explains. She added: "No member of the administration, nor any coaches or University athletics staff members asked Dan Kyle to sign for Smith's release. The federal district court ruled it was speculative to blame Humphreys, but the appellate court found it sufficiently plausible, noting that Irrera is a graduate of one of the nations most highly regarded schools of music.". ", Kollias remembers grabbing his teammate's hand and holding it. Three of the four men in the cellphone video recording of the torture, including Elliot Rivera, also pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 35 years in prison. ESPN said Kollias was outraged when he learned Kyle had helped Smith, who is now in prison for his actions. With Nina Feldman. The two who wrote a letter to the university Board of Trustees have been past department chairpersons who have worked a total of 57 years for the University of Rochester. As the evening wore on, tension was mounting among his captors. I was just covered in so much blood." In his lawsuit, Kyle alleges that at least three others from the football team were involved in Smith's release. That is absolutely not true. Edited by Liz O. Baylen and Mike Benoist. "They started shooting everywhere and putting the gun into our mouths and up to my skin and just shooting and pulling away at the last second. "The lives and careers of BCS (Brain and Cognitive Sciences) graduate students became Jaeger's personal playground," reads a 111-page federal Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint filed by Aslin and seven other current and former faculty and students.