It was a classic he-said, she-said story. Two female soccer players at Central Michigan University accused their coach of sexual harassment, alleging that he manipulated them into having secret sexual relationships with him and lied to his players and to school officials to avoid getting caught. The coach, Tony DiTucci, maintained he was innocent, claiming the two students had made suggestive romantic advances toward him, and that he reported it to his supervisors.
Then came the text messages. The students’ attorney, Jennifer Salvatore, had obtained dozens of messages from the coach to the students, including several allegedly sent to one plaintiff when she was still a senior in high school. “He really used text messaging to lay the groundwork for initiating a physical relationship when she got to campus,” said Salvatore. The texts, Salvatore asserts, proved two things: that her clients were telling the truth and that the coach’s conduct was “inappropriate.” In April, she secured a $450,000 settlement from the university for the women. DiTucci also resigned.
