Suit claims Notre Dame academic coach allegedly coerced athletes into sex with daughter

A.J.Perez | Special for USA TODAY

The University of Notre Dame became ensnared in a sex scandal after a student accused a female academic coach at the school of coercing football and basketball players into having sexual relations with her daughter, according to lawsuit filed in an Indiana court on Friday.

The New York Daily News --- citing an internal six-page report and a lawsuit filed by the student on Friday --- was the first outlet to report claims that the faculty member arranged “sexually and racially motivated” encounters with her daughter in exchange for academic favors.

A statement USA TODAY College received from Paul Brown, vice president of the university’s Office of Public Affairs & Communication, says that the “allegations against the University of Notre Dame in the complaint are unfounded, as are gratuitous and unfounded references to ‘student athletes’ — an allegation that is nothing more than cynical attempt to attract publicity.”

Peter J. Agostino , the lawyer representing the unnamed student, told USA TODAY Sports that school has evidence that athletes were involved.

“They have information specific (to athletes) and we are confident the information we were provided as well,” Agostino said. “For Mr. Browne to make that claim is unfounded and is clearly an attempt at misdirection on his part.”

The university fired the academic coach after an internal investigation showed she violated the school’s "values" and its "discrimination harassment policy," according to The New York Daily News.

The accuser is an African-American student; the academic coach is white.

"She was exploiting African-American males," Agostino told The Daily News. "He was invited to the family's private home to facilitate the relationship."

Since news of the allegations surfaced over the weekend, Agostino told USA TODAY Sports that “four or five” other students has contacted his South Bend-based law firm, Anderson Agostino & Keller, P.C.

The lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY Sports claims the employee, who was not named in the filing, arranged several sexual encounters for her daughter with other African-American students, including basketball and football players.

According to the lawsuit, the unnamed student said he notified the school two weeks ago, but Notre Dame “failed to act.”

The suit also claims the employee arranged multiple sexual encounters with her daughter and other African-American students, including basketball and football players.