Two football players who were falsely accused of rape are now suing the school and the female student who made the claims against them.
Dhameer Bradley and Malik St. Hilaire are suing Sacred Heart University (SHU) and Nikki Yovino for slander and infliction of emotional distress over the false accusation. SHU suspended the students from the football team after the accusations, which turned out to be false, and say their scholarships were revoked (the school disputes this claim).
Yovino was already sentenced to (only) one year in prison for her crime, after a last-minute plea deal. She was facing up to six years in prison for second-degree false reporting of an incident and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
On Oct. 15, 2016, Yovino told police she had attended a football club party at a house near the university. She claimed two men pulled her into a bathroom in the basement and sexually assaulted her.
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“She admitted that she made up the allegation of sexual assault against (the football players) because it was the first thing that came to mind and she didn’t want to lose (another male student) as a friend and potential boyfriend,” the arrest warrant affidavit for Yovino stated. “She stated that she believed when (the other male student) heard the allegation it would make him angry and sympathetic to her.” – READ MORE