Two ex-Naval Academy football players face trial for sex assault

By Lacey Johnson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two former U.S. Naval Academy football players accused of sexually assaulting a female midshipman will be tried by general courts-martial, the school said on Thursday. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Mike Miller has decided to charge Eric Graham with abusive sexual contact and to charge Joshua Tate with aggravated sexual assault, the school said in a statement. Both Graham and Tate are also charged with making false official statements. A third football player in the case, Tra'ves Bush, will not face court-martial charges, the academy said. The three had been charged with sexually assaulting the midshipman in April 2012 at an alcohol-fueled off-campus party in Annapolis, Maryland, site of the elite school. The allegations were among the latest in a spate of high-profile military sexual assault cases, some involving personnel whose job it was to prevent sexual abuse. The woman faced dozens of hours of questioning during an eight-day hearing, answering many graphic questions about the party and its aftermath. Reuters does not generally report the names of sexual assault victims. (This story is refiled to correct length of hearing to eight days in seventh paragraph ) (Editing by Ian Simpson and Andrew Hay)