Yahoo Finance LSU abuse accuser further details allegations, says problems are 'bigger than LSU'
A day after testifying before the Louisiana state legislature, LSU sexual assault accuser Calise Richardson joined Twitter to tell her story in her own words, and call for further action outside of LSU.
As detailed by USA Today's investigation, Richardson accused former LSU football player Drake Davis of repeatedly assaulting her when the two were in a relationship in 2016. Then a student employee in the LSU football recruiting office, Richardson said the situation came to a head when Davis allegedly shoved her in a bar and twice tried to accost her later in the night.
Richardson said she notified her boss in the LSU recruiting office, Sharon Lewis, who kept the allegation in house rather than notify the school's Title IX office. When Davis was arrested in 2018 for allegedly assaulting another woman, Richardson said she went to another LSU boss, deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry, who she claims refused to hear the claims.
Eventually, Richardson was able to file a Title IX complaint, which reportedly led to an investigation that found LSU's athletic department habitually broke the school’s sexual misconduct policies by keeping such accusations in house. The school responded by ... doing nothing. In fact, Lewis and Ausberry have reportedly both received promotions since the investigation was concluded.
Now that both the allegations and the school's handling of the allegations have come to light, Richardson tweeted out a statement Thursday explaining the toll the situation took on her, and what she hopes to see happen in its aftermath:
My response to the USA Today article that shed light on the pain I experienced during my time at LSU https://t.co/3fbSuyEygV pic.twitter.com/KPKqhgM761
— kingcalisee (@kingcalisee) March 12, 2021
Richardson's closing statement:
This issue is bigger than me and you. It is bigger than LSU. This issue lies at the intersection of sexism, racism and how our society values money over people. I hope that through my experience, as well as the other strong, brave women who have chosen to speak their truth, the world will see the great need for change in our country. Not just at LSU football, or the NCAA, but our country as a whole.
Richardson provided further detail of her allegations in another set of statements, including the revelation of an encounter with former LSU running back Derrius Guice, who has been accused by multiple other women of sexual assault. She claims that when she was friends with Guice, until Guice physically tried to instigate sex despite her saying no.
When Guice allegedly stopped, she claims he angrily berated her and spoke negatively of her to others in the program. When she told another boss, Keava Soil-Cormier, she says she received a response of "Why would you let him in your room if you didn't want to do anything." No reports of that incident were filed.
Guice's rape accuser, Abby Owens, also revealed her identity on Wednesday and released her own statement, urging anyone facing a similar situation to reach out:
TW: sexual assault/rape pic.twitter.com/w5My9jmwcc
— Abby Owens (@abbywowens) March 11, 2021
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