The woman who accused Florida State football players, including Jameis Winston of rape tells her story in a new documentary that debuted this weekend at Sundance.
Per SI:
The accuser’s appearance in the documentary, which examines sexual assault cases on college campuses, marks her first public comments since the alleged rape. The film is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (The Invisible War) and will air on CNN later this year. It will also be released theatrically by Radius.
Winston was accused of sexual assault in December 2012. No charges were filed, but in November 2013, the state’s attorney announced it was opening an investigation into the woman’s accusation. The investigation was completed a month later without any charges being filed.
Winston also faced a Student Code of Conduct case at Florida State in December to determine if he violated student conduct codes. He was cleared by an arbitrator after a two-day hearing in which he read a five-page statement denying the allegations. The statement was the first time Winston publicly presented his side of the story.
Earlier this month, the accuser filed a federal lawsuit against Florida State university trustees alleging that FSU did not properly investigate her allegation and intentionally did not follow its own Title IX policies, therefore violating her Title IX rights. The university responded by calling the allegations “meritless” in a statement.
The lawsuit cited a Fox Sports report published in October that alleged the FSU administration and Tallahassee police took steps to “hide and then hinder” the investigation.
Winston announced earlier this month that he will not return to Florida State next season in order to enter the NFL draft.
© 2015, Mehka King. All rights reserved.
