COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The United States Air Force Academy is calling for an Inspector General’s investigation of the athletic department after the Colorado Springs Gazette published a damning report on alleged “honor code” violations by athletes at the academy, including gang rape, drug use, threats against witnesses to crimes and academic cheating supported by academy staff.
The alleged violations date back to 2010, and the culture was so wild that “academy leaders canceled a planned 2012 sting out of concern that undercover agents and confidential informants at a party wouldn’t be enough to protect women from rape,” the Gazette reported.
Academy officials have been aware of the allegations, in some cases for years, according to documents.
Many of the most serious accusations stemmed from a 2011 party at which football players and other athletes allegedly mixed “roofies” into a bottle of rum and had sex with women (and possibly underage girls) after the drugs kicked in.
After reports of that incident began to spread, academy investigators tracked the activities of 32 cadets, including 16 football players and several other athletes.
According to the Gazette report, three of the 32 cadets were court-martialed, sentenced and discharged. Five other cadets received administrative punishment that resulted in their dismissal, and another half-dozen cadets resigned. Three more cadets were kicked out for unrelated misconduct.
Of the 16 football players investigated, seven made it through to graduation, the Gazette reported.
Read the full report at the Colorado Springs Gazette.