SALT LAKE CITY — A rural Utah school district will pay $18,000 to a high school football player who said administrators had tolerated harassment for years before a teammate assaulted him.
The agreement reached last month was formally approved Monday with an order from a federal judge. It also includes a separate $30,000 payout to Sykes McAllister, the law firm that has represented the teen’s mother in her suit against South Sanpete School District.
Under the terms of the deal, the 15-year-old boy, Greg, will be able to claim his share of the money from a trust when he turns 18.
He and his mother Misty Cox had alleged administrators at Gunnison Valley High School did little to stop ongoing abuse over multiple years, creating a climate that tolerated sexual assaults and harassment.
Then on Sept. 17, 2018, before the start of football practice, two players tackled and pinned the freshman junior varsity player to the ground while a third rubbed his genitals on the boy’s face.
The same teammate assaulted several other athletes at the school, but Greg is credited with being the first to speak up and helping the others feel comfortable talking to police.
In February, the young athlete admitted in juvenile court to eight incidents of forcible sex abuse. A judge in Manti’s 6th District Juvenile Court ordered him to move in with his grandparents and to participate in therapy and community service while attending an alternative high school.
Although the Deseret News typically does not name victims of sexual crimes, Greg and his mother have agreed to the use of his first name.