Former Vanderbilt women's basketball assistant coach accused of sexual assault in lawsuit

A former player and assistant on Vanderbilt University’s women’s basketball team has accused a former assistant coach of repeatedly sexually assaulting her in a lawsuit against the coach and university.

The unnamed plaintiff says she was a player and graduate student assistant for Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team in the late 2000s. She is accusing former assistant women’s basketball coach Victoria Picott of grooming and later sexually harassing and assaulting her on and off Vanderbilt's campus, continuing after she left the school.

The plaintiff claims Vanderbilt didn’t implement policies sufficient to protect students from sexual assault from those in positions of power.

The plaintiff brings a total of 10 different counts in federal court against the two defendants, including Title IX sex discrimination, assault and negligence.

Vanderbilt, in a statement, said it is going to respond to the plaintiff’s allegations “at the appropriate time” through the legal process.

Picott no longer coaches at Vanderbilt and does not yet have an attorney listed in online court records. The Tennessean was unable to reach Picott for comment.

What is Tennessee's statute of limitations?

The civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse is one year from the date of discovery of the abuse in Tennessee.

In this case, the plaintiff says she realized that what happened to her was abuse late last year while in therapy, and she argues that by filing the lawsuit in April 2023, less than a year has elapsed since discovery of the abuse.

What are Vanderbilt’s policies on sexual misconduct?

Vanderbilt’s faculty manual prohibits consensual romantic and/or sexual relationships between graduate students and faculty members who are “in a position to exercise influence, power or authority over that student.”

The plaintiff argues that a student cannot consent to a sexual relationship with a staff member because of the power imbalance between the parties. The plaintiff said she felt she could not object to Picott's conduct.

“This failure to recognize the inability to consent is inconsistent with the NCAA’s own view that any sexual contact between a coach and a collegiate athlete is per se abusive,” she wrote.

In a statement, a Vanderbilt University spokesperson pointed to student resources for sexual assault prevention and victim support, including the Project Safe Center for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Support, the school's Title IX Office and Student Affairs. The spokesperson also said that the university trains faculty and staff on reporting incidents and supporting students in distress.

“We are committed to confronting and combating this societal problem, and to providing members of our community with the resources and support they need and deserve,” the spokesperson said.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins.