Drae Bowles

[chargervol]

It's amazing how they claim nothing happened to any of these players, yet each of them was removed from the program.

And an investigation took place. There's nothing more you could've asked for from CBJ. So idk why he's included. This is about money and nothing else

Look at the wording from the Bowles section above.
" team was instructed by Head Coach Butch Jones not to talk to him" Make it sound negative. This is following a statements implying Jones would do nothing to stop VERBAL assaults.
I added caps to verbal because they intentionally omit the word. If you just hear assault, it sounds just a little worse.

The point being, it's their job to make it sound as menacing as possible, along with include as many people as possible. Helps build their case of an "environment".
Sadly, it works. You will read many posters accuse others of being blinded by homerism, while having an accusing theme based off of nothing. Except slanted filings and articles by a woman that has a history of bringing any negative light she can find against UT.

 

[vol66]

I really hope these things aren't true because it really doesn't sound good at all.

Well...the players admitted to the confrontations with Bowles. We know Bowles transferred shortly afterwards.

I agree that if a coach(s) were present and allowed it to go on as seems to be asserted, that would be a bad look.

 

[Kristy*]

It's amazing how they claim nothing happened to any of these players, yet each of them was removed from the program.

And an investigation took place. There's nothing more you could've asked for from CBJ. So idk why he's included. This is about money and nothing else

Agree. I think the football program as well as the school has acted above and beyond considering the lack of proof in these cases.

 

[JwolfeVFL]

im sorry but players fighting their teamamtes happen on every team. It doesn't matter where it happened. Where does a coach's responsibility end? He suspended the players immediately and that was his stance. Regardless if he felt it was right or wrong of players to fight bowles he made his stance. The team chemistry carp has to be taken care of by the players. If jones had a meeting and told the players to get a long with bowles do you think they would have listened? My take is it would have made it worse as the players felt like they were scolded because of bowles therefore elevating their anger. Bowles made a choice to help someone he felt needed it. However, he paid a price for doing what he felt was right. Thats life my friend.

We just get to sue people for.our feelings getting hurt in our great nation.

fyp

 

[ClearwaterVol]

Reading what's been posted, it sounds like the assaults were of the verbal nature which would explain the lack of discipline to Orta and Maggitt.

 

[utvolpj]

Im sorry but players fighting their teamamtes happen on every team. It doesn't matter where it happened. Where does a coach's responsibility end? He suspended the players immediately and that was his stance. Regardless if he felt it was right or wrong of players to fight bowles he made his stance. The team chemistry crap has to be taken care of by the players. If jones had a meeting and told the players to get a long with bowles do you think they would have listened? My take is it would have made it worse as the players felt like they were scolded because of Bowles therefore elevating their anger. Bowles made a choice to help someone he felt needed it. However, he paid a price for doing what he felt was right. Thats life my friend.

We just get to sue people for.our feelings getting hurt in our great nation.

This isn't simply fighting a teammate. It is clearly intimidation of a person doing what he believes to be right. That's not life, that's illegal

 

[Rifleman]

Keep in mind that assault is a very broad category in the language of a lawsuit:

This is ASSAULT ONE

169. During the interview Orta also admitted having approached Drae Bowles in Smokey’s Cafe (the athletic dining facility), getting “in his face” and saying “some threatening things.”

This is ASSAULT TWO

170. Orta further acknowledged that UT football player Curt Maggitt had also, in a separate incident, confronted Drae Bowles in the team locker room before the team was instructed by Head Coach Butch Jones not to talk to him and before Bowles was “given time away from the team.”

These are not physical assaults, or there would be criminal charges.

The definition the lawsuit relies on:

"An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm."

The crime here is completely based on the perception and testimony of the victim, as there can be no forensic evidence of the threat.

This lawsuit, however, does not even quote Bowles himself, but uses hearsay from a third party and testimony from players involved that would be inadmissible in a criminal trial.

In short, there is no criminal case here and the civil case is built on very wobbly legs.

 

[jkleno]

This is a complex and serious matter, so let me first say I am all for lawsuits, and believe they are often the only way people lower in the power structure can seek redress against powerful institutions. I also believe that it is true that crimes against women are being poorly handled by most of our public institutions at all stages from prevention to prosecution.

However, frivolous lawsuits only serve to undermine the system and call into question the motives of the very people who need the justice our courts are intended to provide.

The timing here, announcing this suit well before the criminal legal system has been able to adjudicate the matters at hand, seems suspect. I assume jury selection has not been made at this point in the two criminal trials? If not, these sort of "newsworthy" filings suggest a desire to get this story back into the minds of potential jurors and cloud their impartiality. At best, this is an over-eager and poorly-timed suit. At worst, this is the type of prosecutorial collusion that needs to be weeded from our judicial system.

The two players were dismissed from the University of Tennessee and the football program immediately for an incident that occurred off-campus and for which, constitutionally, they are still legally granted a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.

I see little in that swift action which constitutes a "culture of indifference" that would comport with a Title IX violation. Further, I suspect such a claim would be nearly impossible to prove if the criminal trial found the two defendants "not guilty". Therefore, there is a vested interest in the timing of this that is fairly unsavory to say the least.

If I was the alleged victim and there still hasn't been a trial in nearly 2 years, I wouldn't really care too much about the timing!

 

[lovavol]

Im sorry but players fighting their teamamtes happen on every team. It doesn't matter where it happened. Where does a coach's responsibility end? He suspended the players immediately and that was his stance. Regardless if he felt it was right or wrong of players to fight bowles he made his stance. The team chemistry crap has to be taken care of by the players. If jones had a meeting and told the players to get a long with bowles do you think they would have listened? My take is it would have made it worse as the players felt like they were scolded because of Bowles therefore elevating their anger. Bowles made a choice to help someone he felt needed it. However, he paid a price for doing what he felt was right. Thats life my friend.

We just get to sue people for.our feelings getting hurt in our great nation.

so doing the right thing gets him jumped. thug life man, didn't think it was that bad up there, guess I need to take off my blinders. I hope they pay the price for what they did, and hope this rings all the way to cheek getting ****canned, Aj and Williams getting whats coming to them...

 

[Rifleman]

If I was the alleged victim and there still hasn't been a trial in nearly 2 years, I wouldn't really care too much about the timing!

The rights of all parties must be upheld if justice is to be served. I think we can agree that all those accused of crimes should get a fair an impartial trial whether the crime alleged was two years ago or two weeks ago.

Further, these delays are really violations of the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (see below). In this case, at least, the defendants are not incarcerated while waiting, but many innocent defendants spend years in jail awaiting trial in this country.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

 

[JettVol]

Below is the section applying to Bowles in the recent court filing.

knox news sentinel also reported that when bowles spoke to police and was asked about the two separate assaults he denied there being any assault. Weird huh???

Lawsuit: UT football players assaulted Drae Bowles for helping rape victim

 

[davethevol]

so doing the right thing gets him jumped. thug life man, didn't think it was that bad up there, guess I need to take off my blinders. I hope they pay the price for what they did, and hope this rings all the way to cheek getting ****canned, Aj and Williams getting whats coming to them...

Getting in someone's face is getting jumped and considered thuggish?

 

[Rifleman]

so doing the right thing gets him jumped. thug life man, didn't think it was that bad up there, guess I need to take off my blinders. I hope they pay the price for what they did, and hope this rings all the way to cheek getting ****canned, Aj and Williams getting whats coming to them...

Neither Orta or Maggit "jumped" him. The assault was purely verbal.

Let's stop going from cheering our players to calling them thugs in 2 seconds flat.

Sorry, you don't get the moral high ground while you're being a knee-jerk racist.

 

[jkleno]

The rights of all parties must be upheld if justice is to be served. I think we can agree that all those accused of crimes should get a fair an impartial trial whether the crime alleged was two years ago or two weeks ago.

Further, these delays are really violations of the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (see below). In this case, at least, the defendants are not incarcerated while waiting, but many innocent defendants spend years in jail awaiting trial in this country.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Is there anything illegal about the timing of this lawsuit? If you look back at the history and see that AJ hasn't even been tried yet, then the ladies are probably believing that this trial will be years out as well.

 

[jkleno]

Neither Orta or Maggit "jumped" him. The assault was purely verbal.

Let's stop going from cheering our players to calling them thugs in 2 seconds flat.

Sorry, you don't get the moral high ground while you're being a knee-jerk racist.

I think Orta's comments speak for themselves! I don't think we need to speak to the obvious.

 

[utvolpj]

The rights of all parties must be upheld if justice is to be served. I think we can agree that all those accused of crimes should get a fair an impartial trial whether the crime alleged was two years ago or two weeks ago.

Further, these delays are really violations of the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (see below). In this case, at least, the defendants are not incarcerated while waiting, but many innocent defendants spend years in jail awaiting trial in this country.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

It's not a violation if the delay is being requested by the defense

 

[JettVol]

Below is the section applying to Bowles in the recent court filing.

Read what I posted, Bowles denies being assaulted, the only person that is spouting off at the mouth is the "alleged victim" I just think that is weird.

 

[utvolpj]

Neither Orta or Maggit "jumped" him. The assault was purely verbal.

Let's stop going from cheering our players to calling them thugs in 2 seconds flat.

Sorry, you don't get the moral high ground while you're being a knee-jerk racist.

"if you don't shut up my friends and I will come after you "

Now, no one has been physically assaulted yet it was enough to make him leave campus.

And let's drop the childish cries of racism please

 

[vol66]

Read what I posted, Bowles denies being assaulted, the only person that is spouting off at the mouth is the "alleged victim" I just think that is weird.

Do you expect him to say, "they were trying to intimidate me so with the help and blessing of Coach Jones I took my talents to UTC"?

I don't think it's weird he's gonna tow the company line in the same way that Timothy Burkhalter resigns abruptly after five months on the job and refused to say why after investigating a similar case at Tennessee.

The same way Yemi quietly moves on...that's the way it goes.

 

[screenthis]

Not every lawsuit is unjustified. But yes, some are frivolous. As an outsider, it seemed that the issue was addressed by the administration. AJ never played again. But, this is a very serious allegation and I won't call for it to simply be swept under the rug for the sake of football success. My hope though is that it's handled appropriately and the team has great success. So many obstacles to winning (some self-inflicted).

Im sorry but players fighting their teamamtes happen on every team. It doesn't matter where it happened. Where does a coach's responsibility end? He suspended the players immediately and that was his stance. Regardless if he felt it was right or wrong of players to fight bowles he made his stance. The team chemistry crap has to be taken care of by the players. If jones had a meeting and told the players to get a long with bowles do you think they would have listened? My take is it would have made it worse as the players felt like they were scolded because of Bowles therefore elevating their anger. Bowles made a choice to help someone he felt needed it. However, he paid a price for doing what he felt was right. Thats life my friend.

We just get to sue people for.our feelings getting hurt in our great nation.

 

[volman85]

Let me add one more part to this rumor. The word I got is Bowles is of high character but got mixed up with a girl not equal in high character. AJ had prior "relations" with the victim before the alleged rape. Some of his teammates had already warned Bowles prior to the alleged rape to leave this girl alone. This may explain (NOT JUSTIFY) teammates confronting after the alleged rape. I did hear back then he was confronted, but again there are more moving parts than teammate rapes; boyfriend helps girlfriend; teammates beat him up. Just not that clear.

 

[TNnative]

Not worried, just another fishing expedition....

I see what you did there.

(Quickly becoming this sites second favorite catch phrase, after of course, racist IMO)

 

[mocfan]

Geraldo Orta, had told Williams that the football team had “a hit” out on Drae Bowles.

In his interviews with police, UT football player Geraldo Orta stated that he felt Bowles had betrayed the team and that where he (Orta) came from, people got shot for doing what Bowles did.

I don't know how anyone can defend statements like this.

 

[Rockytoptn83]

Wasn't the story back when this happened that the female athlete was dating Bowles and that she was hooking up with AJ on the side? Also, Bowles testified earlier that the alleged victim never even mentioned she was raped when he picked her up initially. Forgive me, but I'm really not buying this whole dog and pony show. It is telling to me that the first thing the alleged victims demand for restitution is their entire college education paid for.

 

[smokey0625]

Below is the section applying to Bowles in the recent court filing.

Why does a coach report to a random? He doesnt have to report to a fan what punishment if any he dishes out on a player.