Former FAMU athletics official who accused Ramon Alexander of sexting and groping sues university
Jeff Burlew
A former Florida A&M University athletics official who accused former state Rep. Ramon Alexander of unwanted groping and sexting earlier this year has filed a lawsuit alleging he was retaliated against and fired after reporting alleged thefts, sexual misconduct and other wrongdoing.
Michael Johnson, who served as associate athletic director from May 2020 through mid-January 2022, filed the lawsuit against FAMU last week in Leon Circuit Court. It alleges he was wrongfully terminated after reporting misdeeds within the athletics department and subjected to whistle-blower retaliation and gender and disability discrimination.
Johnson filed confidential complaints with the Florida Commission on Human Relations in February alleging the same misconduct and shared his account — along with sexually charged texts and video he said were from Alexander — with the Tallahassee Democrat, which broke the story May 10.
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Alexander, who was running for a fourth term and in line to become Democratic leader in the Florida House, dropped his re-election bid two days later. Before his abrupt exit, he had been a rising star in the Democratic Party and an outspoken critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The 36-page complaint says university officials began to retaliate against Johnson after he reported alleged theft by a former equipment manager as well as job performance issues involving Skye Dawson, head coach of men’s track and field and Alexander’s brother-in-law. Tallahassee attorney Marie Mattox is representing Johnson.
The lawsuit says that Alexander, a former FAMU student body president, employee and Board of Trustees member who was close to President Larry Robinson, was “in (Johnson’s) work environment on a constant basis” even though he no longer worked at the university. It also alleges that every time an issue arose with Dawson, Alexander would intercede.
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According to the complaint, Alexander threatened Johnson not to reprimand Dawson or others in the athletics department, saying at one point, “There are certain people you do not want to ‘f’ with in Tallahassee, and I am one of them.”
FAMU had no immediate comment on the complaint, which tells only one side of the story. A spokesperson said the university does not comment on pending litigation. Alexander could not be reached immediately for comment, but issued a public apology the day the news broke that said he would have no further comment “on this pending legal matter.”
At the same time Johnson was reporting wrongdoing by the equipment manager, the lawsuit alleges he was the victim of “severe and pervasive” sexual harassment primarily by Alexander from July 2020 through January 2022.
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“On numerous occasions, Rep. Ramon Alexander sent plaintiff explicit sexual messages,” the complaint says. “On another occasion, Ramon Alexander sent plaintiff a video recording of himself caressing his genital area. On multiple occasions, plaintiff told Ramon Alexander that his sexual advances were unwelcomed.”
The complaint alleges that on Aug. 27, 2021, Ramon Alexander became “physically aroused” and embraced Johnson while the two were touring the men’s track locker room alone. It says Alexander “sexually battered plaintiff by touching his genitals," conduct Johnson found “unwelcome and offensive.”
There was no surveillance video because FAMU audit investigators had removed cameras from the athletic department in September 2021. The lawsuit also says Alexander accessed Johnson's "email correspondence and equipment" through a relative who worked in the university's information technology department.
Johnson further alleged that Alexander groped him again on Jan. 14, 2022, during the Martin Luther King Convocation featuring the former lawmaker as keynote speaker.
“At that time, plaintiff was sexually harassed and battered by Alexander in the back hallway in the Al Lawson Center by him touching his genitals a second time,” the complaint says. “Plaintiff objected and told him he was not interested and to leave him alone.”
During visits to campus, Alexander "consistently" propositioned Johnson for sex, whispering in his year "you're so handsome" and telling him he wanted to have sex with him in his office at the Capitol, according to the lawsuit.
Johnson’s complaint says he didn’t report Alexander “out of fear for his job” until after his January 2022 encounter with the former representative.
On Jan. 14, 2022, he complained in writing about Alexander to Kortne Gosha, who resigned as athletic director in April, and a university vice president. Gosha reported Johnson’s allegations against Alexander to Robinson on the same day, according to the lawsuit. Johnson was fired five days later.
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Document:Read the lawsuit here
The lawsuit also states that several individuals in the athletics department — including student athletes — “reported sexual harassment and suspicious activity they witnessed or experienced on (FAMU’s) campus ... but the defendant failed to investigate the harassment, take action to remedy the harassment or prevent future harassment for the student-athletes or plaintiff.”
Alexander, who is married with children, represented District 8, which encompasses Gadsden and a portion of Leon counties. After his decision to step aside, Gallop Franklin, a close Alexander friend who was eyeing a run for the seat in 2024, stepped up his plans, winning a five-person Democratic primary before defeating Republican Curt Bender in the Nov. 8 general election.
In his previous written statement to the Democrat, Alexander said that he had a “consensual, adult relationship” with Johnson but was never involved in personnel decisions at FAMU. Johnson disputed Alexander's description of their relationship.
“My family and I have been working through this for many months,” Alexander wrote, “and I am sincerely sorry for my actions.”
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.