Oregon athletic department issues statement on investigation surrounding basketball program

The silence from the university has been broken as the athletic department issued a statement regarding the sexual assault investigation surrounding the Oregon basketball team this week. The following remarks are the official statement released by Athletic Director Rob Mullens and Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes.

"The University of Oregon takes all student misconduct that threatens the safety of our students very seriously. We have a clear obligation and responsibility to act in a way that protects all members of our campus community, and our first priority is always to ensure the safety and support of our students.

Questions have arisen regarding the timeliness of the university's involvement in the matter reported about University of Oregon basketball. Law enforcement agencies often request that the university wait to take action in order to avoid interference with an open criminal investigation. We responded accordingly in this situation. In all cases we begin investigating immediately, and aggressively address situations in accordance with the law, our internal code of conduct, and our commitment and obligation to protect and support our students."

The remarks are what should be expected from a university when it comes to a delicate situation such as this. They acknowledge the severity of the investigation and addressed the concern over the timelines of when the school became involved in the situation.

According to a police report filed on April 14, the case was dropped due to "insufficient evidence to prove charge(s) beyond a reasonable doubt." In the same report, there was an explanation that "while there is no doubt the incidents occured, the conflicting statements and actions by the victim make this case unprovable as a criminal case."

So it appears as if Dotson, Artis and Austin won't be facing any legal implications with the case, but this issue is far from resolved. With the case closed, the focus will now shift to how Altman and the athletic department responds to the issue. All three players involved have been suspended from team activities. Obviously, Altman will be under a microscope with regards to how he handles this delicate situation.

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