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Florida State University Responds to New York Times' Article With a Scathing Statement (READ)

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Florida State University (FSU) is not pleased with the way they were represented in New York Times' investigative piece alleging they violated federal law in not properly handling allegations of rape against star quarterback Jameis Winston.

The school released a lengthy statement on what they said were several inaccuracies along with multiple statements from the school the NYT intentionally left out of the story. FSU denied it was negligent to Winston's accuser and iterated that victims often do not want their attacks reported, giving the appearance the school does not care.

CLICK HERE to read FSU's full statement and HERE to read "A Star Player Accused, and a Flawed Rape Investigation" By Walt Bogdanich.

FSU said any school must perform "a balancing act" when responding to a student's rape claim, due to the Education Department's "Dear Colleague" letter from April, 2011.

Below is part of a statement FSU said they provided to the NYT before their article was published.

"Given the inherent tension within the "Dear Colleague" letter, FSU seeks to empower victims by giving great weight to their wishes when it comes to counseling, academic accommodations and supporting them through criminal or university proceedings. In a great number of cases, the victims make it quite clear that they don't want to file a police report or pursue a Code of Conduct process."

Liz Maryanski, FSU's vice president for university relations, also released letters she sent to the NYT editors raising concerns over the school's image. Among her concerns was how the school was painted as unresponsive to the story author's requests for comment.

Maryanski said the school provided lengthy answers that were not included in the story or were reduced significantly. She also said Bogdanich wrongfully stated the school "stopped granting interviews." She said the school granted his request for information and gave plenty of statements to the extent they could do so.

FSU's statement concluded: "The Times has done its readers, as well as the FSU community, a disservice by omitting these answers and by seriously misrepresenting the university's concern and care for its students who are victims of sexual assault."

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