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American Morning

CU Rape Allegation

Aired February 19, 2004 - 07:04   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: University of Colorado football Coach Gary Barnett is reluctantly accepting the school's decision to place him on paid administrative leave, he says. The move comes after Barnett made disparaging remarks about the athletic ability of Katie Hnida. Hnida, a former Colorado placekicker, says a teammate raped her when she was on the team.
Barnett's statement about Hnida did not sit well with CU's president, Elizabeth Hoffman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH HOFFMAN, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: We believe that in the context of a rape allegation, it is inappropriate to make statements about the ability of the player, and particularly the way those statements were made. We think that the appropriate answer to a question about her ability was to say that that was an inappropriate question in the context of an allegation of rape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: After Hoffman spoke last night, Barnett said he disagrees with the school's move, but called himself a team player. He also addressed the comments that he made about Hnida on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY BARNETT, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: I sincerely regret that yesterday a portion of my remarks were either misinterpreted or taken, aired out of context. And I apologize for answering that question in a manner where I must have come across as insensitive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Barnett said he's very sensitive to Hnida's rape allegation and wants to do whatever he can to help her.

More now on the firestorm swirling around Colorado Buffalo's football program. We're joined from Boulder by reporter Gloria Neal from Denver's KOA Radio.

Nice to see you, Gloria. Thanks for being with us.

GLORIA NEAL, REPORTER, NEWSRADIO 850 KOA: You're welcome, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Also an alum, I might add.

Let's first talk about the apology that was offered by the coach. Do you think that he was taken out of context or misquoted?

NEAL: Well, I don't believe that he was taken out of context. Certainly we've covered every press conference, as far as these allegations go, that Coach Barnett has provided. And what he said was what was aired. And I think for the most part, a lot of people construed what he said was very insensitive to an alleged victim.

O'BRIEN: The president also said that she was -- quote -- "distressed" over comments that were attributed to the coach back in 2001 in a police report that was followed by an undisclosed woman, who said she was trying to report a rape.

And the police report goes on to quote this woman as saying -- quote -- this: "She was told that Coach Barnett would take care of the problem," that he "would make sure" (name deleted) -- that's the player she was accusing -- "got treatment. She was also told that he would back his player 100 percent if she took this forward in the criminal process."

The coach has now been put on paid administrative leave. Is there a sense in the community that this goes far enough?

NEAL: Well, I think that depends on who you talk to, Soledad. Certainly supporters of Coach Barnett believe that he is being treated unjustly. They believe that perhaps there should have been more proof, if you will, that what has been alleged has, in some form or fashion, taken place.

Those who are individuals in the community, be it male or female, who say you know what? His particular comments yesterday are just indicative of a bigger problem with the CU football program.

So, some people believe it was just, and some people believe that it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) too quickly.

O'BRIEN: What's the sense of how the president is handling all of this?

NEAL: I'm sorry. I didn't hear you.

O'BRIEN: Forgive me. Let me repeat that. What's the sense in the community about how President Hoffman is dealing with this controversy?

NEAL: I believe that the colleagues that I have, the people that I speak to -- and quite frankly, an alum, I went to the University of Colorado -- I believe that she is credible. I believe that she has really stepped up and handled this in the best way that she could. Certainly some of this did not happen on her watch. Some of these allegations came forward prior to.

And so, I think that for the most part, with the cards she has been dealt, she is handling it the best she can. O'BRIEN: Is there a sense that this is a problem that's particular to CU, or that this sort of indicative of a nationwide problem?

NEAL: I think it is -- the impression is that it is indicative of a nationwide problem. And again, I think for the most part, Governor Owens, the governor of Colorado, pretty much elevated this to the national spotlight when these first allegations were made several weeks back that if he -- if they didn't act, he would.

And so, right, wrong or indifferent, or wherever you come down as far as what the governor did, I think that he was letting the regents know, he was letting the faculty, the staff know here that something must be done, and whether they are true or not, this needs to be dispelled.

And for the most part, I think people in the community are very supportive and very understanding, and yet at the same time they want something done. These allegations just keep coming, keep coming and keep coming. And so, there has to be either something to it, or this is one of the biggest conspiracy theory, you know, problems that this university has ever dealt with.

O'BRIEN: Well, we will see what happens. Gloria Neal joining us this morning. Thanks, Gloria. Appreciate it.

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 19, 2004 - 07:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: University of Colorado football Coach Gary Barnett is reluctantly accepting the school's decision to place him on paid administrative leave, he says. The move comes after Barnett made disparaging remarks about the athletic ability of Katie Hnida. Hnida, a former Colorado placekicker, says a teammate raped her when she was on the team.
Barnett's statement about Hnida did not sit well with CU's president, Elizabeth Hoffman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH HOFFMAN, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: We believe that in the context of a rape allegation, it is inappropriate to make statements about the ability of the player, and particularly the way those statements were made. We think that the appropriate answer to a question about her ability was to say that that was an inappropriate question in the context of an allegation of rape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: After Hoffman spoke last night, Barnett said he disagrees with the school's move, but called himself a team player. He also addressed the comments that he made about Hnida on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY BARNETT, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: I sincerely regret that yesterday a portion of my remarks were either misinterpreted or taken, aired out of context. And I apologize for answering that question in a manner where I must have come across as insensitive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Barnett said he's very sensitive to Hnida's rape allegation and wants to do whatever he can to help her.

More now on the firestorm swirling around Colorado Buffalo's football program. We're joined from Boulder by reporter Gloria Neal from Denver's KOA Radio.

Nice to see you, Gloria. Thanks for being with us.

GLORIA NEAL, REPORTER, NEWSRADIO 850 KOA: You're welcome, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Also an alum, I might add.

Let's first talk about the apology that was offered by the coach. Do you think that he was taken out of context or misquoted?

NEAL: Well, I don't believe that he was taken out of context. Certainly we've covered every press conference, as far as these allegations go, that Coach Barnett has provided. And what he said was what was aired. And I think for the most part, a lot of people construed what he said was very insensitive to an alleged victim.

O'BRIEN: The president also said that she was -- quote -- "distressed" over comments that were attributed to the coach back in 2001 in a police report that was followed by an undisclosed woman, who said she was trying to report a rape.

And the police report goes on to quote this woman as saying -- quote -- this: "She was told that Coach Barnett would take care of the problem," that he "would make sure" (name deleted) -- that's the player she was accusing -- "got treatment. She was also told that he would back his player 100 percent if she took this forward in the criminal process."

The coach has now been put on paid administrative leave. Is there a sense in the community that this goes far enough?

NEAL: Well, I think that depends on who you talk to, Soledad. Certainly supporters of Coach Barnett believe that he is being treated unjustly. They believe that perhaps there should have been more proof, if you will, that what has been alleged has, in some form or fashion, taken place.

Those who are individuals in the community, be it male or female, who say you know what? His particular comments yesterday are just indicative of a bigger problem with the CU football program.

So, some people believe it was just, and some people believe that it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) too quickly.

O'BRIEN: What's the sense of how the president is handling all of this?

NEAL: I'm sorry. I didn't hear you.

O'BRIEN: Forgive me. Let me repeat that. What's the sense in the community about how President Hoffman is dealing with this controversy?

NEAL: I believe that the colleagues that I have, the people that I speak to -- and quite frankly, an alum, I went to the University of Colorado -- I believe that she is credible. I believe that she has really stepped up and handled this in the best way that she could. Certainly some of this did not happen on her watch. Some of these allegations came forward prior to.

And so, I think that for the most part, with the cards she has been dealt, she is handling it the best she can. O'BRIEN: Is there a sense that this is a problem that's particular to CU, or that this sort of indicative of a nationwide problem?

NEAL: I think it is -- the impression is that it is indicative of a nationwide problem. And again, I think for the most part, Governor Owens, the governor of Colorado, pretty much elevated this to the national spotlight when these first allegations were made several weeks back that if he -- if they didn't act, he would.

And so, right, wrong or indifferent, or wherever you come down as far as what the governor did, I think that he was letting the regents know, he was letting the faculty, the staff know here that something must be done, and whether they are true or not, this needs to be dispelled.

And for the most part, I think people in the community are very supportive and very understanding, and yet at the same time they want something done. These allegations just keep coming, keep coming and keep coming. And so, there has to be either something to it, or this is one of the biggest conspiracy theory, you know, problems that this university has ever dealt with.

O'BRIEN: Well, we will see what happens. Gloria Neal joining us this morning. Thanks, Gloria. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.