LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – On the day that University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart announced that Mark Pope had been hired as men’s basketball coach, Barnhart also was named a defendant in a federal Title IX lawsuit alleging that he and others at UK were deliberately indifferent to allegations of sexual and other abuse against a swim coach who left his position last June after coaching at UK since 2012.
There was no explanation on the press release announcing the resignation of Lars Jorgensen, but a U.S. District Court suit brought against UK, Jorgensen, Barnhart and former UK swim coach Gary Conelly alleges that the school’s failure to heed warnings and outright reports of abuse allowed Jorgensen “to foster a toxic, sexually hostile environment within the swim program and to prey on, sexually harass, and commit horrific sexual assaults and violent rapes against young female coaches and collegiate athletes who were reliant on him.”
The suit has been brought by Briggs Alexander, a former swimmer and assistant coach in the program, and by one other anonymous plaintiff who also was a swimmer and assistant coach at UK. It was first reported by Katie Strang of The Athletic on Friday.
Legal complaints include only one side of a story. Asked for a response by The Athletic to allegations in the suit, a UK spokesperson wrote via e-mail, “Mr. Jorgensen is no longer an employee of the University of Kentucky. We do not, as a matter of policy, discuss specific personnel issues.” Barnhart did not respond to The Athletic’s request for comment.
WDRB could find no criminal complaints filed in Kentucky at the time of the alleged assaults.
The complaint alleges that from the day he was hired, UK administrators and coaches were provided warnings about Jorgensen’s behavior, but did not properly follow up on those reports. In the end, Jorgensen is alleged to have raped both plaintiffs, as well as acting in an abusive and inappropriate manner with athletes in his program, causing them, “and untold others, lifelong trauma.”
He also is alleged to have sent improper photos of his genitals and other sexually suggestive material, including videos, to swimmers via text message and social media, discussed his own sexual experiences and desires with swim team members, commented on the breast size and appearance in swimsuits of female swimmers, instituted “punishment workouts,” in violation of NCAA policy, and to have made degrading comments about weight and withheld food from some swimmers after poor performances.
Asked for comment by The Athletic, Jorgensen told the publication, “None of that is true, so I don’t really have much further comment. I’ve always tried to lead in a positive manner and do what’s best for each individual and the team overall.”
Among the warnings UK is said to have dismissed were emails from a former colleague on the day Jorgensen was hired at UK alleging that Jorgensen had engaged in an improper sexual relationship with one of his swimmers at a previous school. The email was sent to Conelly, Barnhart and one other UK coach by former Toledo assistant swim coach Mark Howard.
The email reads, “I coached at Toledo for a year then had to run away as fast as I could. While there a former Toledo swimmer made it known to me about a sexual relationship she had with Lars be[f]ore she had graduated. I confronted Lars about it, and made it very clear that he stay away from any Toledo swimmers for as long as he was alive. Had I known he was interviewing with Kentucky I certainly would have called. I wish you the best and hope he does not bring down your University. This is no joke at all and I cannot stomach the fact that he will be coaching women again.”
Conelly responded to the note saying that the university would investigate further. Barnhart did not respond. Conelly wound up getting the number of the woman involved and asking her if the relationship was consensual. Satisfied that it was, UK took no further action.
A little more than a year later, in April 2013, Howard e-mailed another UK assistant coach, saying, “I warned Gary that Lars had issues keeping his hands off girls. . . . Keep your eyes open man.” There was no response to the e-mail.
A month later, Jorgensen was promoted to head swim coach at Kentucky. In that role, Jorgensen recruited a 22-year-old recent swim team graduate, who is listed as Jane Doe II in the lawsuit, to serve as an assistant coach. At Christmas of that year, the suit alleges that Jorgensen had a staff party in his home and, after asking the assistant to stay after to help clean up, raped her. The coach alleges a years-long pattern of abuse in which she says Jorgensen raped her multiple times, groped her under the table during staff dinners and on more than one occasion called her into his office and masturbated in front of her.
The suit alleges that in 2015 or 2016, Kentucky volleyball coach Craig Skinner witnessed Jorgensen groping the thigh of Jane Doe II and reported it to the director of operations for the swim program, who confronted Jorgensen. He denied the allegations and, according to the suit, threatened Jane Doe II that if she reported him he would ruin her coaching career. The Athletic reported that documents obtained from Kentucky’s Title IX office refer to a complaint against Jorgensen around the time in question, but that no investigation was evident.
Back in 2013, Jorgensen also recruited Alexander to be a part of the program. He swam under the name of Bridgette Alexander, but has since transitioned. In The Athletic story, Alexander consented to be referred to by the pronouns used at the time when discussing allegations against Jorgensen.
Alexander said Jorgensen “groomed” her during early years at UK, behaving in a controlling manner, taking an outsized interest in eating habits and weight. Discussions often turned to sexual matters, according to the suit, and the abuse escalated when the swimmer’s college career ended in 2018. To train at UK’s facilities for the U.S. National Team, Alexander needed to maintain a connection with the program, so she was added as a volunteer assistant. Part of that position required meeting with Jorgensen at a Lexington restaurant for what the suit alleges he called “professional development.”
Jorgensen, Alexander alleges, began to act in an increasingly aggressive manner in these meetings, and would make sexually suggestive phone calls, going so far as to masturbate on the phone with Alexander.
Alexander alleges that other swim coaches witnessed Jorgensen’s behavior, and one pulled him off of her during one full-staff dinner, but that other coaches merely watched.
After retiring from competitive swimming, Alexander remained at UK to finish a master’s degree. After a Christmas party at Jorgensen’s home in 2019, Alexander says Jorgensen raped her, the first of many assaults reported in the suit. When Alexander began gender transition in 2021, Jorgensen’s behavior is alleged in the suit to have become more hostile.
In May of 2022, Alexander left UK, and the swimming profession, altogether, though he did return after a time, and the abuse resumed.
Later in 2022, Jorgensen is alleged to have sexually assaulted another former swimmer and volunteer assistant, listed in the suit as Jane Doe. She reported the same grooming behavior and inappropriate conversations, and alleges that on Dec. 28 of 2022 the coach groped and kissed her, despite her verbal protests not to, before she could extricate herself.
A day later, she sent him a text message that reads, “Lars, I want to let you know that what happened last night was not fun for me. You are a mentor/boss I am a volunteer assistant coach. You have a position of power over me and touching me, asking for sexual favors, and asking sexual questions is unprofessional. I am not attracted to you in any way beyond a coach / professional role. I do not want you to pursue me in any sexual or harassing way again.”
The coach responded with text messages asking to meet, to which she refused. On New Year’s Day, the coach called to apologize, and said one of the assistant coaches was leaving and he would add her as a full-time coach. By the end of January, she was in the position, but the abuse continued.
In May, Jane Doe disclosed the sexual abuse to another member of the coaching staff, who she says told her he was “not surprised.” But no further action was taken. A month later, she went to another assistant coach, who suggested she report the abuse to the university. That coach turned to Kentucky compliance official Sandy Bell, who according to the complaint, said, “Unfortunately, this is not the first time we’ve heard of this.”
Still, the suit alleges, no follow-up measures were taken by the university.
In early May of 2023, the university was responding to multiple complaints about Jorgensen over improper coaching practices related to punishment training and NCAA practice-hour rules. He had previously been suspended for one week for similar concerns in the 2021-2022 season. On May 14, 2023, an open records request from The Athletic showed, Barnhart got an anonymous email alleging practice improprieties as well as “inappropriate relationships” with swimmers. Barnhart forwarded that email to the school’s compliance office two days later.
Around the same time, Jane Doe II contacted Alexander via Instagram and they discussed their experiences. After that, according to the athletic, Jane Doe II sent an email to three UK officials calling Jorgensen, “a predator to young women.”
On June 1, Barnhart informed Jorgensen that he was being suspended pending an investigation. On June 28, Jorgensen resigned in a settlement with the university.
All of the plaintiffs said they went to Kentucky’s Title IX office to share their stories, but were met with varying degrees of resistance, and got conflicting stories over the course of their experience. Subsequently, two of the plaintiffs spoke with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, which investigates and attempts to resolve issues of sexual abuse and misconduct. That group continues to investigate Jorgensen.
The suit charges UK with sex harassment, sex discrimination failure to train and supervise and with neglect, and it charges Jorgensen, Barnhart and Conelly with violation of bodily integrity. It further charges Jorgensen with battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, damages for equal access to educational opportunities and institutional reform.
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