LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the people accusing the University of Kentucky's former swim coach of sexual assault came forward on Wednesday.
The lawsuit claims Lars Jorgensen sexually assaulted the swimmers, and the school purposely disregarded multiple reports of inappropriate and sexual relationships.
It names athletic director Mitch Barnhart, the school and Jorgensen.
Former swimmer and assistant coach Briggs Alexander and a Jane Doe filed the lawsuit last week.
Alexander and his attorneys held a news conference Wednesday morning to talk about the allegations.
"That's what's hurting me the most right now in this moment," he said. "Because Title Nine office is, is there to protect us as student athletes at when, when our coaches aren't protecting us in this, in this situation. He wasn't, we should have been able to trust the Title Nine office and none of us could."
In in an interview with the Herald-Leader, Jorgensen's attorney, Greg Anderson, said the lawsuit "has nothing to do with anything he has done in his private life."
“This all has to do with NCAA woke philosophy and his support of his swimmer, Ms. Gaines," he said. "The timing of it, in light of her statements publicly, is extremely suspicious. We will be exploring that.”
Gains grabbed national attention for criticizing the NCAA for allowing transgender women to participate in swimming and diving.
Anderson also claimed his client "dated" the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
A Wednesday release from university spokeswoman Kristi Willet stated that the school contacted law enforcement upon learning details from the initial article reported by The Athletic. It added that no one should be subject to the abuse described in the lawsuit.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our students and employees,” the release stated. “We have no tolerance for harm, harassment or abuse.
“To our employees, students and the entire University of Kentucky family, we want to be absolutely clear: we do not tolerate these types of behaviors,” the release added. “We will do everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”
The lawsuit also said Jorgensen’s predecessor, Gary Conell, did not follow up after being told of previous alleged misconduct by the coach at Toledo. It also said that Barnhart did not follow up an email about allegations or investigate them and hired Jorgensen; he’s also accused of intentionally concealing the allegations. Barnhart said Sunday that he couldn’t comment on the matter because it is being litigated but noted, "We always want to have safety for our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff.”
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