Coach has shocking response to football player's reports of extreme homophobic abuse by teammate

A former college football player says he was harassed and brutally attacked by a teammate who thought he was gay, and that the team’s coaches not allowed the abuse to continue, but gave him the worst advice imaginable.

In a federal lawsuit, John Haynes describes the intensely homophobic environment he endured while playing at Troy University in Alabama. He alleges that fellow player Jack Dawson, with whom he also shared a living suite, tormented him during their time as teammates.

Dawson’s list of alleged abuses is harrowing — it includes verbal assaults, physical beatings, and forced sodomy. He’s now facing multiple counts of assault after turning himself into authorities Monday.

The attacks allegedly occurred during the fall of 2020. In one horrifying encounter, Dawson allegedly sodomized Hayes with a pool cue and left him bleeding on the floor. The suit describes another instance in which Dawson allegedly punched Hayes seven times in the face, resulting in a broken nose.

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