CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Six football players at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have been charged with taking turns raping a drunken student after a party, a university spokesman said Tuesday.
District Attorney Bill Cox declined to comment. Defense attorney Jerry Summers, who is representing at least some of the players, called an afternoon news conference.
The charges stem from what the woman said was a gang rape on Oct. 21 at the apartment of one of the players.
• For more on the Chattanooga gang rape case, go to FOXSports.com.
Police said the woman told investigators she got drunk at a party and became separated from her friends. When the party began to break up about 2:30 a.m., she said, she was taken to the apartment, where seven to 10 men took turns having sex with her. She said she objected and hit them, but they forced themselves on her.
The allegations did not come to light until a week later, when coach Rodney Allison suspended those charged.
Chancellor Roger Brown said he initially was told the players were being punished for a curfew violation and he did not find out about the rape report until days later.
The six charged are Muhammad Ahmad Abdus-Salaam, Lironnie Davis, DeJuan Payne, Cori Stukes, Terrence Thomas and Larry White, university spokesman Chuck Cantrell said.
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