The handling of a former player's discipline has brought renewed scrutiny on new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.
The King County (Wash.) Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday charged Washington running back Tylin "Tybo" Rogers with one count of second-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape, for two separate incidents against two separate victims that occurred between October and November of last year. Seattle police were first contacted Oct. 28 for an attack that allegedly occurred five days earlier, per the Seattle Times.
The detective investigating the case wrote in court documents at the time that Rogers was suspended from team activities in late November, and he did not travel to Las Vegas for the Huskies' win over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. From the Tuscaloosa News:
Emails were sent within the University of Washington athletics department that Rogers should be taken off the travel roster for the conference championship game, the detective wrote. The emails didn't specify why, though. The first victim reported the assault to the University of Washington Title IX office on Nov. 28, 2023, per the probable cause statement.
However, he returned to action for Washington's ensuing College Football Playoff run. He totaled five carries in the Sugar Bowl win over Texas, and one carry in the national championship loss to Michigan.
Then-Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked about Rogers's status between the Pac-12 Championship and the Sugar Bowl, and said this:
"We're working through some things. Some challenges he had off the field. I can't comment on what t it was exactly, but Tybo's done a great job with being here, listening to directions, working through this moment, and being a good steward of the team. He's had a good attitude through this, and there are some things a little bit out of his control he is trying to work through, and we're trying to work with him."
DeBoer was also asked about Rogers's absence following the Pac-12 title game and said, "Yeah, he just wasn't available to us."
Now that Rogers has been arrested and charged with two felonies, many have asked why he returned to action for two games after an apparent suspension.
“While I am not able to comment specifically on the situation involving an individual at my former institution because of federal privacy laws and the ongoing criminal matters, I do want to make it clear that I take any allegation of sexual misconduct very seriously," DeBoer said in a statement released Thursday. "I always have and always will follow established institutional policies and procedures to ensure prompt reporting and proper handling of allegations by the appropriate authorities.”
Washington's season ended Jan. 8, DeBoer left UW Jan. 12, and Rogers entered the transfer portal on Jan. 19. However, Rogers exited the portal and re-committed to Washington 10 days later.
Somehow, despite the allegations swirling around Rogers and a prior suspension that held him out of Washington's first two games, no one at Washington intervened to stop new Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch from taking him back. Or, Fisch didn't ask enough questions. Or both. AD Troy Dannen, now at Nebraska, declined to comment to the Seattle Times.
Fisch said he was unaware of any allegations until Rogers was arrested Friday. "As soon as we found out about any allegation, we suspended him immediately from the program," Fisch told reporters.
"The University of Washington Intercollegiate Athletics Department is aware of the arrest of a football student-athlete by the Seattle Police Department," Washington said in a statement. "The student-athlete has been suspended from all team activities until further notice. The UW will continue to gather facts and cooperate with law enforcement, as requested."
Lots of statements have been released by those involved with this saga, but someone soon should come out with actual answers.