Asked about the lawsuit after Sunday’s news conference at Rupp Arena introducing men’s basketball coach Mark Pope, the longtime AD said he couldn't comment because the matter is under litigation.
“I always say we always want to have safety for our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff," the longtime AD said. "But other than that, I can’t say.”
Former Kentucky swimmer and assistant coach Briggs Alexander and a woman identified only as Jane Doe filed the suit Friday in U.S. District Court. It said Kentucky empowered Jorgensen to “foster a toxic, sexually hostile environment within the swim program and to prey on, sexually harass, and commit horrific sexual assaults.”
The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified, as Alexander did.
The lawsuit also alleged that former Kentucky head coach Gary Conelly, who led the program from 1991 until retiring in 2013, did not follow up on being told of previous alleged misconduct by Jorgensen at Toledo. It also alleged that Barnhart did not follow up an email about allegations or investigate them and hired Jorgensen, and it accused him of intentionally concealing the allegations.