Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
TALLAHASSEE - Florida State president T.K. Wetherell denied accusations that he or administrators acted improperly in trying to resolve allegations of sexual battery against defensive tackle Travis Johnson.
He said the attempt to reach a settlement before criminal charges were filed was to accommodate the wishes of the accuser, an FSU female student-athlete, not to protect a football player.
"The young lady asked for and actually helped craft a potential agreement," he said.
An e-mail from FSU vice president of student affairs Mary Coburn to the woman Feb.27, three weeks after the alleged incident, detailed five proposed conditions:
Johnson, though admitting to no wrongdoing, would leave school until the start of football practice in August; he would seek counseling so "that he understands how this affected you"; neither would contact the other; the matter must remain confidential; and all parties would "agree not to pursue any further legal action."
Neither the woman nor Johnson agreed and within days, the woman went to Tallahassee police to file a complaint. She had talked to police Feb.18, but testified in court she wanted to ask about her options and did not name Johnson.
After the two-day trial, in which a six-woman jury needed 25 minutes to find Johnson innocent, assistant state attorney Adam Ruiz criticized FSU for trying to settle the matter in February. He called it "unacceptable" and "outrageous."
In a statement released Friday, Coburn defended the school's action: "It is FSU's practice that the president and vice president for student affairs be informed when there is an allegation of sexual battery and we may become further involved at the behest of a student. The administrators' actions are guided by the needs and wishes of the student making the complaint and that student may seek criminal charges at any time."
According to taped interviews that Coburn, Wetherell and Pam Overton, the associate athletic director for student services, gave to a police sex-crimes investigator, each said the woman was advised of her options.
Coburn told police in her taped interview that the woman, a senior, did not want to "ruin" Johnson, with whom she had had consensual sex. Coburn said the woman wanted Johnson to leave school so she could finish her education "without him being there and being a constant reminder of that."
The woman told the same story in court when prosecutors asked her why she did not contact law enforcement immediately.
"I was embarrassed," she said. "I didn't want anybody to know, plus, I just wanted him to leave me alone and get help. I didn't necessarily want him to be ruined. That's the way I was thinking at that point."
Wetherell, who told police he talked to Coburn while she was working on the settlement, met with Johnson and his father first. Wetherell told police Johnson's father did not want his son to sign an agreement. Travis Johnson, who maintained the sex was consensual Feb.6, also asked coach Bobby Bowden's advice and decided to fight it legally.
After talking to the Johnsons, Wetherell told police he returned phone calls from the woman's father and told Coburn he wanted to meet with the woman to hear her version of the events, in part to prevent someone from saying he was "taking sides."
"We followed the same policy for this that we would for any other case," Wetherell said Friday.
State attorney Willie Meggs said he does agree with his assistant, Ruiz, that what FSU did seems wrong and he and his office are "going to look into it as soon as I can get the people involved with this together."
EAST CAROLINA: Running back Art Brown will miss the season with a right knee injury. Brown, a preseason All-Conference USA selection, rushed for 1,029 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last season. He is eligible for a medical redshirt and is expected to play in 2004.
PITTSBURGH: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald sat out practice, one day after he injured his left hamstring. Coach Walt Harris said he was not sure when Fitzgerald, who set school receiving records as a freshman, would return.
- Times staff writer Stephen Hegarty contributed to this report, which used information from Times wires.