CLEVELAND -- A student and former softball player at Kent State University said in a federal lawsuit Tuesday that her coach tried to cover up allegations the player was raped and that university officials failed to follow school policy and federal law after the woman reported being attacked.
Lauren Kesterson's lawsuit alleged she reported the rape to a school official several days before Karen Linder resigned in August after 19 years as the team's coach. Kesterson then quit the team last fall because of harassment by alumni and university officials who blamed her for Linder's resignation, the suit said.