Sports

Jamie Naughright Accused Peyton Manning of Cheating in 1994, Court Docs Suggest

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When a 20-year-old sexual assault complaint against Peyton Manning resurfaced recently, there was a mysterious previous incident attached to the narrative that was said to explain the Volunteers quarterback's motive.

It appears as though whoever tried to keep as much of the previous incident as quiet as possible, they were not able to cover everything with a black marker.

Shaun King detailed the sexual assault complaint Dr. Jamie Naughright filed against Manning in 1996 for The New York Daily News. When he was the star QB at the University of Tennessee, and she was a trainer for the team, Manning pressed his naked buttocks and genitals against Naughright's face when she was examining his foot.

A settlement followed; Naughright left UT and both sides agreed to never discuss the incident. But then the trainer sued Manning in 2001 for violating their non-disclosure agreement in a book he wrote with his father Archie and a ghostwriter named John Underwood. In addition to breaking the non-disclosure agreement, Naughright claimed Manning slandered her by calling her "Dr. Vulgar Mouth."

The case still failed to make headlines. Only when six women filed a Title IX lawsuit against UT for fostering a "hostile sexual environment" for women did Manning's alleged sexual assault of Naughright and everything that followed become widely consumed and dissected.

In his column, King referred to a 1994 incident taking place during Manning's first semester at UT that was heavily redacted in the court documents he obtained. The incident, King wrote, "caused Manning to consistently harbor anger toward [Naughright]."

When The Washington Post combed over the redacted pages of the court documents, it found a small piece that was not blacked out. Incidentally, that small portion may well have revealed why Manning was so angry with Naughright.

The pages detailed the deposition of UT Athletic Director Doug Dickey, who responded to questions about an instance in which Naughright was a guest lecturer for one of Manning's classes in 1994. Naughright was trying to fight preferential academic treatment given UT student-athletes at the time, Deadspin noted, and it seems she identified one such instance with Manning.

The question posed to Dickey read as follows: "Do you recall it ever being reported by Carmen Tegano, or anyone else, that Dr. Naughright had spoken to Carmen Tegano about the possibility of Peyton Manning having committed academic fraud in that course?"

Dickey answered: "No."

Naughright was a guest lecturer for a class taught by Carmen Tegano, which Dickey claimed to have no knowledge of. Tegano's testimony is heavily redacted, The Post reported, but he does state Naughright subbed for a class he taught, though he ended her involvement in his class afterward.

The supervisor of tutoring for UT student-athletes, Tegano has made his admiration of Manning known throughout the years. Manning even donated $3 million to UT which will in part build a dining hall bearing the Tegano name. He has also publicly stated his dislike of Naughright, though it is not clear why.

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