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Three Butler University women’s soccer players filed lawsuits Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, alleging former athletic trainer Michael Howell sexually abused them and that they were not the only ones he victimized.
The separate lawsuits detailed how Howell allegedly shared pornographic video clips and, for one of the players, threatened to reveal a picture he had with potentially damaging information to silence her.
Howell would also allegedly use hotel massages and special training sessions outside his daily work schedule "to build trust, isolate, and weaponized the young women’s desires to be the best athletes they could be," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuits also claimed that Howell’s actions stemmed far beyond just their own experiences at the university.
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General view prior to the start of a college basketball game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and Butler Bulldogs on Feb. 12, 2022 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"Howell’s sexual assaults were so frequent, over such a long period of time, and to so many women that the athletes coined the term ‘the breeze’ to describe it when Howell would lift their bras, spandex, and underwear and air would rush over their breasts and vaginal areas," the lawsuit read, per IndyStar.
Each lawsuit not only names Butler University, but also the school’s senior associate athletic director for student-athlete health, performance and well-being, Ralph Reiff, as co-defendant. Both are accused of not properly overseeing Howell’s duties while failing to have
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