A bombshell Sports Illustrated report graphically details a culture of rampant sexual harassment and misconduct within the University of San Francisco men's soccer team over multiple decades, which the school has largely failed to address.
The report, published Thursday, comes in the wake of a social media reckoning last summer where dozens of female students, both past and present from the last 20 years, came forward with their stories about sexual assault.
The outcry led the school to hire an independent law firm to investigate the many allegations. Hulst & Handler found that 11 men’s soccer team players from 2010-20 were accused of sexual misconduct.
Despite those findings, the 53-page report concluded that, overall, "it was more likely than not" that "sexual misconduct and/or disrespectful behavior" toward women and queer people "was not pervasive among members of the USF men's soccer team" and that USF responded to the allegations "diligently."
However, SI reported many around the university were perplexed how that could be their result based on those findings.
Even after the firestorm of accusations, the publication found the school was still not doing enough to address the horrifying culture. The outlet said "the problems run much deeper" than what the law firm's investigation revealed.
Among the stories revealed by the SI investigation:
-- A former student claimed she was gang-raped by members of the men’s soccer team at one of their parties in 2010. USF conducted its own investigation into the findings and found four players in violation of general student conduct. The students were required to write a reflective paper and do five hours of community service.
-- Men's soccer player Manny Padilla was accused of sexual assault in October 2015. An investigation by the school Title IX office found that he violated their sexual misconduct policy and placed him on probation. He was allowed to stay in school and remain on the team.
-- Former Athletic Director Scott Sidwell acknowledged that he was aware women at USF were targeted for "unwanted group sex" by members of the soccer team, but he failed to address the root problems.
-- Upperclassmen and resident advisors routinely warned new students to avoid “the soccer house.”
USF officials, including the president, declined interviews for the SI story. A school spokesperson acknowledged to the San Francisco Chronicle that the report "highlights serious harms that occurred within our USF community."
"The specific accounts by former students and survivors detailed in the story are heartbreaking and no one should have these experiences," the school's statement read. "We recognize the immense amount of courage it takes for survivors to speak about their experiences with sexual violence and misconduct."
"We acknowledge that, regardless of what was included in the (school-commissioned) report, hurt and mistrust exist in our community," the statement continued. "We are committed to rebuilding that trust and creating a culture and community at USF that stands in firm and demonstrable opposition to sexual misconduct and acts of discrimination."
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