Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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A pair of women who won cross country championships for Huntington University, an evangelical Christian school in Indiana, have accused one of their former coaches of having committed multiple acts of sexual assault and two more members of the coaching staff of having done nothing to stop the abuse.
As first reported by the Indianapolis Star, Hannah Stoffel and Emma Wilson, the respective 2019 and 2020 Crossroads League and NAIA national individual champions, alleged in a federal civil lawsuit filed in Northern Indiana that former coach Nicholas Johnson had raped one runner on multiple occasions and massaged other runners in such a way as to constitute sexual assault.
The suit lists as defendants numerous coaches, the university, and various people who hold leadership roles with the school, each of whom the plaintiffs argue knew or should have known of the abuse and other allegations of wrongdoing.
“University leadership has been made aware that a civil suit was filed that names the University, as well as individuals formerly and currently associated with the University,” a statement from the school reads.
The story is as complex as it is disturbing to read.
Johnson had previously been arrested and charged with pretending to be a woman in order to communicate via email with a person under the age of 18, with whom he later engaged in sexual activity. According to WTPA-TV, Johnson reached a plea deal on those charges.
Local radio station WOWO later reported Johnson had pleaded guilty to identity deception and been sentenced to 30 days in jail and 150 days of electronic monitoring.
Huntington fired Johnson when the university’s leadership was made aware of the earlier allegations.
The runners also accuse Lauren Johnson, Nicholas’ wife and until recently the coach of the team, and her assistant, Curtis Hines, of being aware of Johnson’s abuse but not interceding. WANE-TV reports that both coaches have been placed on administrative leave.
Wilson and Stoffel have also accused their former coaches of orchestrating a “doping” regimen for the cross-country team.
The athletes allege that Nicholas Johnson would, under the guise of conducting an “experiment” or “study,” rub unknown substances on the runners.
“The University has engaged in communication with key stakeholders to begin the necessary work required to ensure the ongoing care of our students,” a statement from the university reads.
The University has and continues to provide a variety of opportunities and directed avenues for students who were impacted to be heard, obtain counseling services, and make Title IX inquiries. We remain committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities, that are free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
The fallout for Huntington has been immense.
Although the least of the school’s worries, a new development demonstrates just how quickly and deeply Huntington has fallen in the public eye. WXIN-TV reported Monday that the Indiana High School Athletics was moving a state cross country meet from Huntington to Indiana Wesleyan University.
That same day, David Woods of the Indianapolis Star, who broke the original story, reported that more than 200 current and former students are petitioning for the removal of all administrators who knew of the case.
“[We] call for the investigation of and subsequent removal of all administrators, board members, and those of authority on Huntington’s campus who are determined to have known about the abuse and failed to protect vulnerable women on campus,” the petition reads.
The signatories also request the Johnsons and Hines be restricted from access to all campus facilities and forbidden to interact with students. The petition also includes a request that the school reconsiders the Johnsons’ membership in the school’s athletics hall of fame.
“So let us say this very clearly, shepherds: there are wolves in the pen,” the petition reads. “We understand that the pending lawsuit will account for how the wolves got there in the first place and why they were permitted to stay. But right now, we will call on you to do what shepherds do, and remove the wolves.”
Huntington is located in a small city of the same name in Northeast Indiana and is affiliated with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.
The United Brethren church is a conservative evangelical denomination with a presence in 17 countries.
With 500 churches, 200 of which are in the United States, the denomination is comparatively small when placed alongside the likes of the Southern Baptist Convention (about 50,000 churches), United Methodist Church (about 32,000 churches), and Presbyterian Church (USA) (about 8,800 churches).
Huntington University is not affiliated with or related to — and should not be confused with — Huntingdon College, a private Methodist college located in Montgomery, Alabama.