Lawyers say the University of North Carolina has determined that a football player from Marietta charged with sexual battery didn't violate campus policy during the alleged crime, The Associated Press reported.
Attorneys on both sides of the case against Allen Artis, who played at Wheeler High School, said Thursday that university officials found no violation of campus policy.
Such a misconduct decision could have led to the expulsion of Artis. The 21-year-old has been indefinitely suspended from the team.
The reserve linebacker faces two misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and assault on fellow student Delaney Robinson. Artis has said their sex was consensual.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution typically doesn't identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Robinson held a September news conference where she said Artis had sex with her inside an on-campus apartment while she was intoxicated during a Valentine's Day party last year. She was 19 at the time of the news conference.
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"While attorneys may make public claims on behalf of their clients and their clients may speak on their own behalf, we are obligated to follow a process that protects our students' privacy rights," UNC-Chapel Hill's vice chancellor of communications, Joel Curran, told the Chapel Hill News in a statement Thursday.
The newspaper reported that Robinson’s attorney Denise Branch issued a statement also confirming the school’s decision.
“Ms. Robinson is shocked and dismayed by the failure of UNC Title IX office to hold Mr. Artis accountable for his actions,” Branch’s statement read. “She has appealed this initial finding which is subject to further administrative review.”
The school revised its policy on discrimination and harassment, including sexual assault and sexual misconduct two years ago after four current and former students and a former administrator accused the school of underreporting sexual assault cases for an annual federal report in 2010, the AP reported.
The complaint also alleged that campus officials allowed a hostile environment for students reporting sexual assault.
The university denied underreporting crimes.
Artis’ indefinite suspension from the UNC squad was the result of an automatic university policy when an athlete is charged with a misdemeanor. Any reinstatement would come after a review from the athletic director, head coach and school officials.
In Georgia, a piece of legislation by State Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, that failed to become law as the session ended last week was designed to protect the due process rights of students accused of sexual misconduct.
Ehrhart believed too many students are falsely accused but still investigated and even punished by Georgia college officials.
Artis last practiced Sept. 11, two days before Robinson's news conference.
In the news conference, Robinson said she filed for misdemeanor charges after police and prosecutors indicated there wasn't enough evidence to pursue felony charges.
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