The University of Colorado Boulder's chancellor late Friday acknowledged the university did not act quickly enough when confronted with domestic abuse allegations against then-assistant football coach Joe Tumpkin.
A lengthy statement from CU followed a report in Sports Illustrated that head football coach Mike MacIntyre and Athletic Director Rick George were aware Tumpkin, the former defensive backs coach, had been accused of multiple incidents of domestic violence – but took no action for weeks.
In the report, the woman alleged that she’d been the victim of domestic violence at Tumpkin’s hands 80 times in 2015 and 2016. A Broomfield Police affidavit puts the number of assaults at more than 100.
As of late January, Tumpkin faces felony charges of second-degree assault.
Chancellor Philip DiStefano wrote in the statement Friday that he, head coach Mike MacIntyre and athletic director Rick George want to apologize to the victim.
Tumpkin, 45, was forced to resign Jan. 27. He was formally charged earlier this week with multiple counts of assault, including five felonies.
The woman also told SI that she first spoke with MacIntyre on Dec. 9 – and provided phone records to back up her assertion – and that the following day the coach told her that he’d briefed George on her situation and that they were considering how to properly respond.
But, she told SI, she never heard from MacIntyre – or anyone else at CU – and instead was approached by Tumpkin’s attorney, Jon Banashek, who she said suggested that she drop the matter.
In the meantime, CU’s defensive coordinator, Jim Leavitt, resigned to take a similar position at the University of Oregon – and MacIntyre named Tumpkin to call the defensive signals when the Buffalos played in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29.
MacIntyre and George learned of the violence allegations in "mid-December," according to the CU statement issued Friday, but the university waited until Jan. 6 to suspend Tumpkin because no criminal charges had been filed and officials had not seen documentation of the allegations.
However, the statement reads, "[The victim] should have received an immediate response from the university pertaining to the actions we might take as well as expressing concern for her safety and any support she needed to deal with repercussions of the trauma she suffered."
DiStefano's statement went on to say officials should have reported the allegations sooner. "We regret that as soon as each of us knew of the allegations of domestic violence, written evidence or not, we did not report them to our office of Institutional Equity and Compliance," the statement reads. "I am now making it clear to all CU Boulder mandatory reporters that even when they become aware of possible domestic abuse that does not involve a person affiliated with the campus, I want them to err on the side of reporting it to OIEC. In hindsight, we should have done so here."
Ken McConnellogue, a university spokesman, said Friday that President Bruce Benson and the board of regents “are aware of the issue and are being kept apprised of it.”
Phone messages left after hours Friday for Banashek’s office were not immediately returned.
The 53-year-old victim filed a report with the Broomfield Police Department on Dec. 19 and applied for a restraining order the next day. That restraining order application includes her detailed allegations of violence she alleged at the hands of Tumpkin.
She wrote in the application about an incident she said occurred the night before CU’s Nov. 19 game against Washington State.
“He came home around midnight intoxicated on that Friday night,” the woman wrote. “When I tried to end our relationship, he became angry and started jabbing his finger in my face. He then pinned me against the wall & choked me. The night after the game, he sat on my back & pulled me back by my hair. He threw me into the wall, on the ground & choked me. He finally pulled me out of the leather chair by the roots of my hair & dragged me across the dining room to the door where he told me to ‘get the f--- out.’”
The woman also alleged that she was first assaulted by Tumpkin on Feb. 27, 2015, at an area hotel.
“Joe grabbed me & threw me against the wall,” she wrote in her application. “He also threw me on the bed when I tried to leave. He wouldn’t let me leave. I had bruises on both wrists and forearms, as well as my legs.”
“In addition to throwing me against walls, to the ground, & onto the bed, he would get on top of me & choke me,” the woman wrote. “He would also bite my face during these attacks. Afterwards, he would text that he was sorry & that it wouldn’t happen again (but it always did). He also assaulted me in Michigan at my home, in Tampa, Chicago & Colorado Springs. After we saw each other in Tampa, we did not see each other for 7 months (until the 18 of Nov). However, he has threatened to kill other men I have interacted with & leaves messages where he yells, curses & threatens.”
On Jan. 6, after the Boulder Daily Camera and 9NEWS obtained the restraining order, George issued a statement: "We are still gathering details about the very serious allegations in this filing. Once I’ve reviewed it, I will get together with Coach MacIntyre and we will take whatever action is appropriate and necessary. I expect all our student-athletes and employees to conduct themselves appropriately on and off the field."
Then on Jan. 27, the university announced that it had forced Tumpkin to resign.
“Joe is currently defending himself against allegations made in court records that do not represent our values,” George said in a statement. “Furthermore, we need to move forward to ensure we do not have gaps in our coaching staff as we build the team and sign new recruits.”
On Tuesday, Adams County District Attorney Dave Young announced that Tumpkin, 45, had been charged with five counts of second-degree assault, all felonies, and three counts of misdemeanor third-degree assault. Those allegations were based on incidents that occurred Feb. 27, 2015, and Nov. 20, 2016.
The felony charges, Young’s office noted when they were announced, allege “that he used his hands as deadly weapons, caused bodily injury and strangled” the woman.
Tumpkin is scheduled to be back in court next Thursday.
CU's statement Friday night ends by saying the university has made "an effort in recent years to strengthen our enforcement of Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act."
"It is important for our community to know that I take our shortfalls in this instance seriously and we need to do better to represent our values," the statement reads.
Contact 9NEWS reporter Kevin Vaughan with tips about this or any story: kevin.vaughan@9news.com or 303-871-1862.
