University of Minnesota athletic officials were notified this summer about a “concerning pattern” of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations against Golden Gophers football players over the past year, according to an email obtained through an open records request.
Players were accused of sexual assault on two occasions, and the school’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office also handled two allegations of sexual harassment involving groups of football players, according to an email sent July 16 by director Kim Hewitt. The school also fielded concerns about a group of players retaliating but provided no other details.
The school did not investigate either sexual violence allegation or one of the harassment allegations because the reporting students didn’t want to proceed with an investigation, Hewitt wrote.