The University of Montana fired athletic director Jim O'Day and head football coach Robin Pflugrad in March amid increased scrutiny over how sexual assault allegations involving Montana football players were handled, and now the U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation on those claims, according to a Reuters report. Back in March, Fritz Neighbor of the Missoulian noted an independent investigation by former Montana Supreme Court Justice Diane Barz into nine sexual assault allegations, including a December 2010 incident in which two women alleged they were drugged and gang raped by members of the football team.
Laura Zuckerman of Reuters add that University President Royce Engstrom told Reuters the U.S. Justice Department informed him on Monday that they would be investigating "the response of the Missoula-based university, city police and county prosecutors" to those various sexual assault allegations. Justice Department officials plan to hold a news conference in Missoula on Tuesday afternoon discuss the nature of the investigation in further detail.
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