NCAA and federal officials are investigating school athletic department over 2012 allegations of rape
By Amy Beth Hanson
Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Just weeks after a University of Montana student claimed she was raped by the quarterback of the football team, the coach enthusiastically welcomed him back to spring drills and lauded his “character and tremendous moral fiber.”
The woman’s lawyer, Josh Van de Wetering, quickly complained to the athletic department that the comment left his client “less than confident in the university’s commitment to protect her.”
Since then, the case has played out against a backdrop of NCAA and federal investigations of the school athletic department and the manner in which rape allegations are reported on campus, investigated by police, and prosecuted by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office.
The situation has left some worried that the football program — while successful on the field — was out of control off it.
The quarterback, Jordan Johnson, was charged in July, and his rape trial was scheduled to begin Friday with jury selection. District Judge Karen Townsend initially called 400 potential jurors for the high-profile case.
An affidavit supporting the rape charge said Johnson and the alleged victim had known each other since 2010 and decided to watch a movie at her house on Feb. 4, 2012.
The woman told investigators Johnson held her down and forced her to have sex with him in her room despite her protests.
Court records show the woman texted her roommate: “Omg ... I think I might have just gotten raped ....he kept pushing and pushing and I said no but he wouldn’t listen ... I just wanna cry ... Omg what do I do!”
Johnson, in a motion to dismiss the case, said the woman had flirted with him at a party and consented to sex the next night, even asking if he had a condom.
The motion also claimed the case was filed by county prosecutors to send a message about their efforts to pursue rape cases.
“The collateral damage to Jordan and his family is immeasurable,” attorney Kirsten Pabst wrote.
The judge rejected the motion, saying the proper place to challenge the state’s case was at trial.
Concerns about the handling of the assault cases peaked in December 2011, when UM President Royce Engstrom ordered an outside probe after two students reported being drugged and raped.
Former Supreme Court Justice Diane Barz later said her investigation found nine alleged rapes or sexual assaults involving students had occurred between September 2010 and December 2011, including two that hadn’t been reported.
Engstrom said in January the investigation “indicated an association with patterns of behavior from a small number of student-athletes.”
