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CNN Live At Daybreak
Widening UC Scandal
Aired February 20, 2004 - 05:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there are now seven rape allegations against University of Colorado football players in the Gary Barnett area. Actually, there are six in the Gary Barnett area, seven in all, and with three cases surfacing in three days, a member of the board of regents says the whole university is shaken.
CNN's Josie Burke has more on this widening scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after the University of Colorado placed Gary Barnett on paid administrative leave, the embattled football coach defended his reputation on CNN "Larry King Live."
GARY BARNETT, SUSPENDED C.U. FOOTBALL COACH: I just know that the way that it's coming across nationally, I just don't think that's who I am.
BURKE: Barnett's comments came just hours after another allegation surfaced involving sexual assault and a Colorado football player. It's the sixth incident to have allegedly occurred since Barnett took over the Colorado program in 1999. According to a Boulder police report, a student claims she was sodomized by a football player and may have been drugged in August of 2002.
Before the latest allegation was made public, a group of former Colorado football players went out of their way to express support for Barnett.
CHARLES JOHNSON, FORMER C.U. QUARTERBACK: He's a guy of high moral integrity and a guy who I believe in, quite frankly. And that's my own independent opinion of Coach Gary Barnett, a guy who's simply, I believe, done the right thing over the course of his time here.
SCOTT NEMETH, FORMER C.U. FULLBACK: He has faithfully directed the participants in this program to the highest level of integrity and moral discipline. Gary Barnett is an upright, honest and moral man and I stand behind -- I stand by him as my coach, as my leader and as my mentor.
BURKE: But another segment of the Colorado community was eager for more change. A women's group on campus says it's not convinced the university is serious about getting to the bottom of the allegations.
CANDICE LOPEZ, STUDENTS ADVOCATING FAIR & EQUAL TREATMENT: With new allegations coming forward every day, we obviously see that this is a problem and that something needs to change with the climate and the atmosphere that is in the athletic department.
BURKE (on camera): As far as a permanent change at the head coaching position, Gary Barnett told Larry King two things -- one, he wants to return; and, two, he does expect to be reinstated.
Josie Burke, CNN, Boulder, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman will be a guest on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING. Of course, that begins, oh, just about two hours from now at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 20, 2004 - 05:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there are now seven rape allegations against University of Colorado football players in the Gary Barnett area. Actually, there are six in the Gary Barnett area, seven in all, and with three cases surfacing in three days, a member of the board of regents says the whole university is shaken.
CNN's Josie Burke has more on this widening scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after the University of Colorado placed Gary Barnett on paid administrative leave, the embattled football coach defended his reputation on CNN "Larry King Live."
GARY BARNETT, SUSPENDED C.U. FOOTBALL COACH: I just know that the way that it's coming across nationally, I just don't think that's who I am.
BURKE: Barnett's comments came just hours after another allegation surfaced involving sexual assault and a Colorado football player. It's the sixth incident to have allegedly occurred since Barnett took over the Colorado program in 1999. According to a Boulder police report, a student claims she was sodomized by a football player and may have been drugged in August of 2002.
Before the latest allegation was made public, a group of former Colorado football players went out of their way to express support for Barnett.
CHARLES JOHNSON, FORMER C.U. QUARTERBACK: He's a guy of high moral integrity and a guy who I believe in, quite frankly. And that's my own independent opinion of Coach Gary Barnett, a guy who's simply, I believe, done the right thing over the course of his time here.
SCOTT NEMETH, FORMER C.U. FULLBACK: He has faithfully directed the participants in this program to the highest level of integrity and moral discipline. Gary Barnett is an upright, honest and moral man and I stand behind -- I stand by him as my coach, as my leader and as my mentor.
BURKE: But another segment of the Colorado community was eager for more change. A women's group on campus says it's not convinced the university is serious about getting to the bottom of the allegations.
CANDICE LOPEZ, STUDENTS ADVOCATING FAIR & EQUAL TREATMENT: With new allegations coming forward every day, we obviously see that this is a problem and that something needs to change with the climate and the atmosphere that is in the athletic department.
BURKE (on camera): As far as a permanent change at the head coaching position, Gary Barnett told Larry King two things -- one, he wants to return; and, two, he does expect to be reinstated.
Josie Burke, CNN, Boulder, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman will be a guest on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING. Of course, that begins, oh, just about two hours from now at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
