Sports

Ex-UConn Football Coach on Sex-Assault Allegations: 'I Was Not Told'

Former UConn football head coach Paul Pasqualoni says he knew there was an investigation, but he didn't know the details.

By Patch Editor Ted Glanzer

Former UConn football head coach Paul Pasqualoni denies that he was told by police that at least one of his players was under investigation for sexual assault in 2011, the Hartford Courant reported Friday.

According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Hartford last week, a junior at UConn said that she was sexually assaulted by a university football player in September 2011, the Courant said.

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In 2013, the woman reported the incident to campus police, whom, she alleges, said they did not believe her.

University Chief of Police Barbara O’Connor said in a written statement that Pasqualoni was told in June 2013 that the allegations had been made against the player and that the state’s attorney determined there was not enough evidence to pursue the case.

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Pasqualoni, who was fired Sept. 30 after an 0-4 start to the season, said in an interview with the Courant on Thursday that he had no knowledge of the substance of the allegations, only that a university detective was seeking to question two of his players.

“When I asked what it pertained to, I was told there was an investigation and that it was confidential,” Pasqualoni said to the Courant. “I was not told the reason for the questioning of the player as best as I can recall.”

Four women on Oct. 21 filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Hartford claiming that UConn mishandled complaints of sexual assault that allegedly took place on campus.

For more on the story, visit the Courant here.


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