A Louisiana State University student who claims a school football player raped her last year is speaking out about how the school handled her report and the lack of guidance she said she received throughout the process.Kendall Danielle Francis talked on TikTok about the monthslong Title IX investigation that played out after she reported the October rape to the school.Two days into the current semester, she said, she received an email while she was in class to notify her that the student, who had been suspended for two semesters, had his punishment modified upon appeal to four semesters’ probation.
He would remain on campus and could continue to play football, she said.“Now I am just trying to speak on my story, because LSU does really protect their athletes, especially their football players,” Francis, who was 18 at the time of the alleged incident, said in the Sept.14 social media post.
As a result of the student’s remaining on campus, Francis said, she moved her classes online.Francis wasn’t aware that filing the Title IX complaint was a separate process from filing criminal charges, a spokesperson for Francis said Wednesday.“When she filed for Title IX, they [the university] did not tell her she could also contact the police and have them launch a criminal investigation,” a spokesperson said.“She just assumed LSU would do the criminal investigation.”Francis’ post, however, caught the attention of East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore, whose office announced it was launching a criminal investigation.
He has requested “all reports, interviews, evidence, and other relevant records” from LSU, the university police and the Baton Rouge Police Department, as well as the coroner’s office, which handles the evidence collection from sexual assault victims.“This is now an open criminal investigation,” Moore said Sept.22 in a statement on his agency’s Facebook page.Francis’ allegations come as accusations that members o...