Second suit accuses Arizona of 'indifference' in actions toward imprisoned ex-RB
A second lawsuit has been filed against the University of Arizona surrounding its actions towards now-imprisoned former running back Orlando Bradford.
Bradford is currently serving a five-year prison sentence on two guilty pleas to charges of aggravated assault — each charge of assault against a different woman.
The Arizona Daily Star has the details and the latest lawsuit against the school has been filed by one of Bradford’s victims. In it, she alleges the school had “deliberate indifference” toward allegations of abuse by Bradford and that the school’s only move to prevent further acts of violence was to ban him from campus housing.
A previous suit was filed in late 2017 that also alleges that Arizona didn’t do enough to help curb Bradford’s violent actions.
Bradford was banned from the dorms, but the school took no further action to discipline him. UAPD collected “extensive documentation” of his physical abuse against the woman, but ultimately decided the couple had a “tumultuous relationship” and that the woman was partly to blame, the lawsuit said.
The school also didn’t open a Title IX investigation into the incident, despite the fact that the dean of students and a senior official within the athletic department knew about the numerous assaults.
“Instead, university employees assisted Mr. Bradford, a promising young football player, with securing off-campus housing with other members of the football team and continued to allow him to participate in football games and practice sessions with the UA football team,” the lawsuit says.
Bradford was kicked off the team in September of 2016 after he was arrested on seven felony abuse charges. The plaintiff in the second suit said she started dating Bradford at the beginning of 2016 while he was still dating the other victim. The suit details patterns of abuse by Bradford and that he threatened to kill the woman if she broke up with him.
The report also notes what police statements made public at the end of 2017 did: that teammates of Bradford knew about allegations of abuse by him and didn’t report them. As part of her suit, the woman is seeking damages and reimbursement for expenses.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
