Lawyer: Tennessee focus of case, not Manning

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The lawyer for six women suing the University of Tennessee on its handling of sexual assault complaints by studentathletes is focused on the school’s systemic problems he believes exist and is surprised at the attention the complaint’s brief mention of Peyton Manning generated.

“It’s certainly unanticipated,” attorney David Randolph Smith said.

Smith said he included events from the last two decades — one involved Manning in 1996 — to show how Tennessee has handled reports of misconduct.

“We included one small paragraph about the Manning situation in the complaint, just as part of the overall background and history,” Smith said. “Peyton Manning is not a party to our lawsuit. All these reports that say he’s in the lawsuit … well, he’s referenced, but it’s part of the historical (background).”

The lawsuit that was filed last week in federal court states Tennessee has violated Title IX regulations and created a “hostile sexual environment” through a policy of indifference toward assaults by student-athletes.

The suit focuses on five cases that were reported between 2013-15, but it references incidents involving Tennessee student-athletes dating to 1995. One paragraph in the 64-page document refers to a sexual harassment complaint made by a trainer in 1996 involving an incident that occurred in a training room while she was treating Manning, the quarterback at Tennessee from 1994-97.

UH suspends lefty Romero

University of Houston lefthander Seth Romero, projected to begin season as No. 2 starter in rotation, has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team policy, coach Todd Whitting said.

Romero was named a freshman All-American after going 7-4 with a 1.94 ERA last season.

A&M recruit arrested

Alton Robinson, a defensive end who recently signed a national letter of intent to play for Texas A&M, has been arrested and charged with seconddegree felony robbery.

A Bexar County Sheriff ’s Office statement said the 6-2, 235-pound recruit was arrested Tuesday at school. His ex-girlfriend accused him of snatching her purse late Monday outside her home, dropping it as he fled, then stealing her cellphone.

A&M football spokesman Alan Cannon said school officials “will gather all of the facts and make a decision at that time.”

Odds and ends

LSU sophomore receivers Trey Quinn and Kevin Spears have left the football team and are in the process of transferring to other schools. … BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in the 2015 opener, plans to apply for a waiver and is likely to be granted another season by the NCAA. … A University of Illinois official familiar with the decision said the school has hired Washington University athletic director Josh Whitman as its new AD.