Peyton Manning just one part of complaint against Tennessee
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is mentioned in the lawsuit a group of women filed against the University of Tennessee last week in which they said the school violated Title IX regulations in the way it has handled reports of sexual assaults by student-athletes.
The lawsuit was filed by six unidentified women and focuses on five cases that were reported between 2013 and 2015, but it also references incidents involving Tennessee student-athletes dating to 1995. One paragraph includes a sexual harassment complaint made by a Tennessee trainer in 1996 involving an incident that occurred while she was treating Manning.
The trainer, Jamie Ann Naughright, settled in 1997 but sued Manning for defamation of character in 2002 after he mentioned the incident in a book. The lawsuit was settled in 2003.
Regardless of the accusations, fans say they will stand behind Manning again. Prime Time Sports in Colorado Springs has plenty of Broncos jerseys for sale, but none with No. 18 on them. A clerk tells KRDO NewsChannel 13 they sold out during the playoffs.
“I think Peyton Manning has built a legacy. The fans support him, no matter what,” said clerk Carter Gerber.
The latest accusations are the latest in a rough few months for the star quarterback.
“Even if it’s 20 years old, even if he was in college, I still think it resonates, in large part, because of the image he has created for himself,” said Christine Brennan, USA Today columnist who originally broke the story in the late 1990s.
From an injury he sustained last season to allegations of HGH made by an Al Jazeera documentary in December. Manning has vehemently denied the HGHG allegations.
Manning is not named in the suit, rather he is mentioned as an example of repeated alleged neglect by University of Tennessee officials to respond to sexual harassment complaints.
“He’s not a named as a defendant in this case,” said Colorado Springs attorney Michael McDivitt. “The plaintiffs must show the University of Tennessee created a hostile environment when complaints were filed in the past.”
As for fans, they’re likely to stay united behind Manning.
“We’re still proud to be a fan of his,” Gerber said.
