A female student who reported she was sexually assaulted by former University of Evansville men’s basketball coach Walter McCarty has hired a national law firm to "investigate and represent her in a potential action against the coach and the university," according to a statement sent to the Courier & Press.

McCarty was fired on Jan. 21 for alleged sexual misconduct. He had been on administrative leave since Dec. 27.

The Dallas-based Simpson Tuegel Law Firm and well-known victim's rights attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel will represent the student.

“This was the classic power imbalance,” Tuegel wrote in the release. “He was the town sweetheart, grew up in Evansville, returned after a successful NBA career and coached the basketball team to national success. When McCarty saw that the victim was in too vulnerable a position to protest his behavior toward her, he assaulted her. Thankfully, she reached out to a friend for support and the assault was reported to the university.”

After learning of the allegations, the university placed McCarty on administrative leave. Then, UE received additional reports of alleged misconduct, which came after UE had previously counseled McCarty about what it claims is "inappropriate conduct off the court."

Tuegel said the firm is investigating these claims further and has received additional information about others who have come forward to report misconduct.

The Courier & Press left messages with both McCarty's attorney and the University of Evansville seeking comment. In a previous statement, McCarty's attorney, Jon Little, says McCarty was "shocked" that the University of Evansville fired him and that McCarty wanted to make "clear to the Evansville community and all supporters that he did not engage in any sexual misconduct or violate the University’s Title IX policy."

Little said he has no comment on this matter. UE has not responded.

Evansville Police Department Capt. Andy Chandler previously told the Courier & Press the department hadn't received any reports about McCarty's behavior since he arrived at UE.

UE's external investigation is expected to be completed by spring. Tuegel told the Courier & Press the federal government recommends them to be completed within 60 days, but she doesn't often see it happen that quickly.

Once UE completes its investigation, she will make determinations "as to if, who and where we might file civil actions."

“It’s clear that my client wasn’t the only victim,” Tuegel said. “We have been informed that other women have come forward about McCarty’s sexual misconduct. It’s important that other survivors of this man’s acts know that they’re not alone, and we would encourage them to reach out to someone to report the misconduct. These women deserve to learn and work in an environment free of sexual violence and sexual harassment. My client asks that the community remain supportive of the men’s basketball team, as well as the additional survivors who have come forward.”

She said it's important to know the timing of when the alleged events happened, what the school knew, what was reported to them and what prior knowledge they had of previous misconduct, if any, by McCarty anywhere else.

Michelle Simpson Tuegel has represented sexual abuse survivors in high-profile cases such as the Larry Nassar litigation against Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee; sexual assault survivors at the University of Southern California; and clergy abuse survivors connected with the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report and nationwide.

Contact Chad Lindskog of the Courier & Press by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.