The Bernstein Brief: Place Butch Jones On Administrative Leave
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Tennessee football coach Butch Jones is in full Peyton Manning mode, issuing heavily-lawyered denials of wrongdoing in the just-amended federal suit filed against the school.
Multiple Jane Doe plaintiffs allege a rampant "rape culture" and "hostile sexual environment," and an amendment filed Wednesday alleges that Jones ostracized a player for helping a woman raped by two teammates, urging her to contact authorities.
The sworn affadavit by Drae Bowles says that Jones told him that by coming to the aid of the alleged victim, he had "betrayed the team."
Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart is scheduled to meet the media Thursday at 1 p.m., and he should be announcing that Jones has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, pending findings in the case. Bowles risks perjury to swear this happened and has acknowledged that he may be called as a witness and is preparing to testify that it did.
If it's true, Jones cannot coach again. Under such suspicion amid numerous other claims, he should not be coaching now.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
