Report: Prairie View A&M coach helped student accused of sexual assault flee Texas

In May of 2015, an unnamed female student-athlete at Prairie View A&M University asked a coach from the school to help deal with a sexual assault incident that occurred on campus.

Instead, the coach allegedly bought a plane ticket for the accused male student, which allowed him to flee the state, according to a lawsuit that was first reported by the Houston Chronicle.

The lawsuit, filed by a student identified only as "Mary Doe," accuses Prairie View A&M of fostering a hostile educational environment and violating the federal Title IX law that prohibits gender discrimination in colleges and universities.

The university's spokesperson and the plaintiff’s lawyer declined to comment to the Houston Chronicle.

According to the suit, the coach in question, who is not identified, left the university several months later, citing this incident as the reason for his departure.

The suit also stated that the university was not clear about her of her rights and discouraged her from pursuing further action, despite the fact that she followed the necessary procedures for reporting a crime recommended by many universities.

The suit also said that the alleged assaulter, who was not identified, was discovered in Florida and charged with sexual assault in May 2015. When the plaintiff attended the case's bail hearing, she discovered that the Prairie View A&M coach had paid for a plane ticket to help her alleged assailant flee.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Report: Prairie View A&M coach helped student accused of sexual assault flee Texas."