Defense attorneys involved in the Vanderbilt campus rape case that resulted in the dismissal from school and rape charges for four Commodores football players have requested text message records of the Commodores' coaching staff in a court filing.
According to tennessean.com, it marks the first notion of the Vandy coaching staff having any information relevant to the case. As part of the request, attorneys for Brandon Vandenburg, one of the four former players charged, indicated displeasure in the evidence provided by the prosecution in the trial's discovery phase.
The only comment from VU came from vice chancellor Beth Fortune.
"The issues raised by the latest court filing are a matter for the court to determine. Vanderbilt has no role," she said in a statement.
Over the summer, Vandenburg, Brandon Banks, Jaborian McKenzie and Cory Batey were charged in the rape of an unconscious woman in a campus dormitory. Weeks later, one of the team's most promising NFL prospects, wide receiver Chris Boyd, was charged with participating in a cover-up attempt. Boyd later pleaded to a reduced charge in exchange for his testimony for the prosecution.
Vanderbilt coach James Franklin declined to comment after practice Wednesday, according to the report.
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