Lars Jorgensen Denies Any And All Allegations
The former University of Kentucky swim coach, accused of raping and sexually assaulting two former UK swimmers in a lawsuit is speaking out through his attorneys. Lars Jorgensen, that former UK swim coach, denying any and all allegations.
Jorgensen says he is innocent. He is one of the four defendants named in a lawsuit, filed by two former UK swimmers, who allege Jorgensen groomed, coerced, and raped them while they were swimmers at the University. Plantiff Briggs Alexander says:
“If I said anything no one was going to believe me, my career was going to be over, I had no future.. he was in a position where if I don’t have a dime I had nothing.”
The former UK head coach who hired Jorgensen, Gary Conelly, along with UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, as well as the University of Kentucky, are also named in the lawsuit, for allegedly not taking the appropriate action when both swimmers reported their abuse to the university. Attorney for the victims, Megan Bonanni, saying all sides need to be held accountable:
“We hope that in bringing these suits that these institutions will look within and will make the appropriate and necessary changes so that predators are not within their ranks.”
But Jorgensen’s attorney Greg Anderson tells ABC36 News Now:
“Jorgensen coached at UK from 2012 until 2023, dated the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit when they worked at different times as his assistant coaches. He didn’t rape anybody. He never assaulted anyone. He never mistreated anyone. He drove his swimmers to be the best that they could, and the facts here do not add up in any way, shape or form. This all has to do with NCAA woke philosophy and his support of his swimmer, Ms. Riley Gaines. The timing of it, in light of her statements publicly on transgender athletes, is extremely suspicious. We will be exploring that.”
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Anderson says Jorgensen’s problems started in 2022 at the NCAA women’s championships, when Gaines and transgender swimmer Lia Thomas tied for 5th place in the 200-yard freestyle race. Thomas was presented with the trophy and Gaines protested, which created national controversy over transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Anderson says:
“Her head coach at the time, Lars, came out and said, ‘I support my swimmer, I support Riley Gaines, she was my swimmer, and I think this was fundamentally unfair. That’s all he said. He didn’t say anything anti-trans. He didn’t say anything anti-NCAA directly. He didn’t say anything anti-Kentucky. He just said, ‘I think this is unfair.’ And it is. It was.”
Anderson says that’s when problems started for Jorgensen, where he was then suspended for one week as an institutional penalty by the university, where allegations then started to circulate against Jorgensen. One of those accusations being that he started practices 5-minutes early.
Anderson says:
“Indeed, it indicates the NCAA has joined the mob mentality in persecuting coaches and athletes that not only openly oppose trans athletes but those, like Coach Jorgensen, who simply did not speak out in support of it.”
Last June, the University of Kentucky and Jorgensen signed a settlement contract that allowed him to resign with a $75,000 severance and no admission of wrong-doing. Under the terms of Jorgensen’s employment contract, UK had the rights to terminate Jorgensen for ’cause’ with no payout, including harm to students, or risking the schools reputation.
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