Update: New Details in Story Oof Disabled Black High School Football Player Raped With a Coat Hanger
This past spring, the story of a Black high school football player with mental disabilities being allegedly raped with a coat hanger by his white teammates in Idaho made national headlines, shocking and infuriating anyone who read its disturbing details.
Well, months after the story first surfaced, new court filings report that the alleged 18-year-old victim, Antwon McDaniel, was "more likely than not" sexually assaulted by his teammates via a coat hanger shoved into his rectum following an October 22, 2015, football practice.
The Idaho Statesman reported Tuesday that a school district investigation, which included 30 interviews with Dietrich High School football players, coaches and parents, revealed "evidence of misconduct among students that [included] sexual harassment, bullying behavior, and sexual assault."
One of the interviews includes a student witness who said he heard “pounding and banging on the walls” before seeing the victim “limping” and “holding his butt.”
McDaniel and his family (pictured above) have filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against the school, its administrators, football coaches and district, saying they all knew of the physical and racist taunts the student received, paving the way for the incident to take place.
John R.K. Howard, 18, and two of his teammates are accused of luring McDaniel into the team's locker room, where they allegedly assaulted him with the coat hanger last fall.
Howard is facing life in prison and would have to register as a sex offender if convicted. Tanner Ward, 17, accepted a plea negotiation that moved his case to juvenile court. A third teammate allegedly involved in the incident will also face charges in juvenile court.
BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.