Notre Dame Prez Defends Seeberg Investigation

((HT: WSBT-TV South Bend/South Bend Tribune, Fosmoe))

The Reverend John I. Jenkins is defending the integrity school's investigation of a sexual battery allegation against a student football player by a female student who later committed suicide.

“I cannot stand by and allow the integrity of Notre Dame to be challenged so publicly. The values at issue go to the very heart of who and what we are at Notre Dame,” President Jenkins said last week.

Notre Dame Security Police conducted a “thorough and judicious investigation that followed the facts where they led and exhibited the integrity that I believe characterizes this institution,” Jenkins said.

Prosecutor Michael Dvorak, who received the investigatory report from campus police in November, announced back on the 16th that criminal charges would not be filed against the player or against another male student who allegedly sent Seeberg text messages of a threatening nature.

Here's the interview with ABCNews where the Seeberg family addressed the Notre Dame investigation- and they weren't happy one bit...


President Jenkins said the player and the player’s friend still may face disciplinary action by Notre Dame’s office of residence life — the player for his alleged actions of August 31st, and the male friend for allegedly sending text messages September 2nd to Seeberg, including one saying, “Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea.”

The text was in response to Seeberg's police report where she said:
"I didn't feel safe in his room....he proceeded to grab my face and started to kiss me. Tears started rolling down my face because I didn't know what to do...I felt so scared, I couldn't move."

President Jenkins has not spoken with the Seebergs since the funeral of their daughter, Lizzy. He maintains publicly that he is trying to remain somewhat detached from the legal machinations until a decision may need to be made on campus as to the students involved in the charges.

No Charges In ND Assault Case

St. Joseph ((IN)) County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak said in a news release that his office has decided not to pursue charges in a case where a St. Mary's ((IN)) College student accused a Notre Dame football player of sexual battery. The decision was based on evidence and the fact that statements by 19-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzy" Seeberg would likely be inadmissible in court.

Seeberg died of an apparent drug overdose back on September 10th. Dvorak says Seeberg had accused a student-athlete of touching her breasts about two weeks earlier.

Dvorak did not name the athlete.

Seeberg's parents told the Chicago Tribune that campus police conducted a "superficial" investigation. The University of Notre Dame released a statement saying that it investigates all potential violations of the law or university policies with "the utmost professionalism."

The Dvorak release is hyah...
The Chicago Tribune piece interviewing Lizzy Seeberg's parents is hyah...
Notre Dame's response to the Tribune piece is hyah...

Here's early coverage of the case, thanks to our friends at WSBT-TV in South Bend...
 

Notre Dame turns alleged sex assault info over to Prosecutor

ND Football stadium/Courtesy: bobak/collegeprowler.com

Apparently this was done late last week. We told you on Sunday, the story about a St. Mary's college student allegedly sexually attacked by a Notre Dame football player. That student, Elizabeth Seeburg, killed herself 10 days after the alleged incident. Oh, by the way, the alleged incident happened Sept. 1st.

This weekend, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly played off the story in his Sunday conference call, saying he wasn't involved in the investigation and generally just passing everything off to Notre Dame campus police. Notre Dame authorities, well, they have declined to acknowledge the complaint...at least publicly.

Well, now comes a report that the information gathered has been passed to St. Joseph County (IN) prosecutor Michael Dvorak.

Read about that from the Chicago Tribune, who has been out front on this story...RIGHT HERE

If these allegations are even close to true, it smells pretty bad for the school. We think one of two things are at play. One, the school investigated and could not confirm anything and is confident that nobody else will either. There were no witnesses. Or two, they've been stalling and covering for the football player, hoping it will go away. If that is the case, someone is in deep doo-doo, the covering up would have been tied to the death of the young woman and nobody wants that on their hands. The one lingering question: If this happened in September, why is the info being sent to the prosecutor at the end of November? Because the Tribune is pursuing the story? Hmmm....

We'll let this play out in court and the local media up in northern Indiana and report on things as they progress. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out.

Speaking of that. The SouthBendTribune has a story on the differing stories being offered by police. You can read that story, RIGHT HERE

Here is the TV story on this from WLS-TV in Chicago: