A former Huntington University track coach and his wife are accused of illicit behavior in a lawsuit filed by two former athletes. The lawsuit claims the school knew about the abuse and PED use by the coaches and did nothing to stop it.
An Indiana University law professor said even if the accusations being made by the two athletes are true, they must prove it in court. They have to prove whether or not they adequately informed the school of the abuse.
“You have to have evidence of a meeting,” said Jennifer Drobac. “You know ‘I told you in a meeting, dated.’ A verbal complaint can be enough, but you have to be able to prove you complained.”
If the proof is there then Drobac said Huntington University could be liable for Title IX violations for keeping a known predator or a suspected predator hired by the school.
According to the lawsuit, some of the sexual assaults and injections of unknown drugs were performed and given by Nick and Lauren Johnson. Nick Johnson has been in trouble with the law in the past having been convicted of trying to have sex with underage girls using a fake email account back in 2020.
Johnson was fired as a track and cross country coach before that conviction but is still employed by the school through a lawn service he owns.
Both Nick and Lauren Johnson are also accused of forcing PEDs upon their athletes.
“This was not happening in the dark. Nick’s behavior of performance-enhancing drugs was entirely observable, and his history of performance-enhancing drugs was known before he got to Huntington,” said Jon Little, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “He rubbed unknown creams on these girls, digitally penetrated them during massages, sometimes in front of their teammates. He massaged their breasts in front of their boyfriends.”
Huntington University said in a statement they are aware of the lawsuit but are not commenting.