The following press release was distributed on Thursday, January 20, 2005 by President Shirley C. Raines in response to the rising concerns regarding student-athlete Jeremy Hunt. If you have any comments regarding this press release please address them in the feedback portion of this article.
Message to the Faculty, Staff and Students,
I want to inform you of the steps that the University of Memphis hasoverseen regarding the recent allegations of domestic violence involvingbasketball student-athlete Jeremy Hunt. While we cannot discuss thespecifics of the case, it is important for you to know as faculty, staffand students, the steps the University of Memphis takes in mattersregarding any student charged with criminal activity.
First, the University of Memphis cooperates fully with all lawenforcement investigations and handles each case on an individual basiswith specific advice from the Office of Legal Counsel. For studentscharged with crimes, the criminal justice system handles the matter.Violations of the Code of Student Conduct are addressed by the Office ofJudicial and Ethical Programs.
Where student-athletes are involved, the following additional steps aretaken:
1. Discipline of a student-athlete is the responsibility of the coachof the team and may also be reviewed in the student judicial system as apart of the Office of Student Affairs; however, when a student-athleteis charged with a criminal act, the Office of Legal Counsel becomesinvolved in the process.
2. Any student charged with criminal activity is presumed innocentuntil proven guilty. Legal Counsel for the University of Memphiscollects information from the law enforcement officials, legal counselrepresenting others involved, the Athletic Department, other areas ofthe University of Memphis which may have knowledge pertinent to thecase, and any other sources possible without interfering with orcompromising the case in the criminal justice system.
3. After the information is collected, it is reviewed and advice givento University officials. Those involved in the review of the informationmust include the chairperson or a designated representative of theFaculty Athletics Committee, the campus police, the Athletics Director,Coach of the team, and others the Legal Counsel deems appropriate.
4. After the review process, a decision is made about the eligibilityof the athlete to participate on the team as well as other actions theUniversity deems appropriate. Because the primary mission of theUniversity is to be an educational institution, the actions taken aredesigned to address our student-athletes' overall well-being asresponsible people. The decision is based on legal advice sought andfollowed to protect the rights of the victim and to protect the rightsof the accused to presumed innocence until proven guilty.
5. When the criminal justice system closes the case, the University ofMemphis closes the case as a criminal matter.
Until the present case is closed, officials of the University of Memphishave been advised to have no further comment. However, the proceduresand policies as they relate to student athletes and any other studentaccused of a crime are presently under review by Universityadministrators, the Office of Legal Counsel, and representatives fromthe Faculty Advisory Committee. Decisions made regarding any changes tothis process will be announced when they are available, but in any eventno announcement will be made concerning this review until the presentcase is closed.
Thank you for your interest and support of the University of Memphis.
Sincerely,
Shirley C. Raines
President
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