Basketball player Nahziah Carter suspended after UW upheld sexual assault allegations
The University of Washington suspended men’s basketball player Nahziah Carter this week after investigations upheld two allegations of sexual assault, the university confirmed Saturday.
The news was first reported by The Daily, UW’s student newspaper.
Earlier this year, two students separately reported Carter to UW’s Title IX office. A hearing officer determined Carter violated the Student Conduct Code regarding sexual assault in both cases, university spokesperson Victor Balta said in a statement.
Carter wrote on Twitter on Friday that he was leaving UW to pursue a professional career. Later that day, one of the students who said she reported Carter brought attention to the allegations when she posted on Twitter information about the sexual assault findings, which had not yet been released by UW or otherwise reported.
“We as the victims, feel that the University has failed to act in a way that protects and supports us,” one of the tweets read. “They have also failed to notify the public of his behavior, neglecting to protect future victims and victims who never had the chance to seek justice.”
According to a statement from Balta, UW’s Title IX Investigation Office first met in January with a student who brought a complaint against Carter. A no-contact order was issued on Jan. 21 and an investigation began.
The investigation concluded on April 13 and the case was referred to a hearing officer, which is required by federal and Washington state law before a student can be suspended. The hearing took place in July as a result of delays requested by Carter and the complainant.
On Oct. 2, the hearing officer determined that Carter was responsible for violating the Student Conduct Code regarding sexual assault. Carter was then indefinitely suspended from the basketball team. The program announced on Oct. 15 that Carter had violated the Intercollegiate Athletics student code of conduct, but did not reveal information regarding the sexual assault hearings.
On Wednesday, Carter’s appeal was denied and the original hearing was upheld. Balta said the sanction was a suspension from UW for the winter, spring and summer quarters . It also made the no-contact order permanent. Two days later, Carter announced he was leaving the university.
As the first investigation was conducted, a second student brought a complaint against Carter on March 17. Later that month, an investigation began and a no-contact order was issued.
The investigation concluded in June and a hearing was held on Sept. 18 after delay requests from Carter and the second complainant. On Nov. 13, the hearing officer issued an initial order determining that Carter was responsible for violating the Student Conduct Code regarding sexual assault. No appeal was filed as of the Dec. 4 deadline, which made the decision final.
The sanction was a suspension from the UW for two academic quarters. The no-contact order with the second complainant was also made permanent. The second case was not considered a repeat violation by Carter because it was decided before the first one was finalized, the statement read.
“The UW’s Title IX Office acted swiftly to gather information, investigate the facts and render carefully considered decisions after fair hearings on these matters,” Balta said in a statement. “The UW is committed to preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment, and to supporting and protecting our students, faculty and staff while upholding due process, and properly investigating and addressing allegations of this nature.”
Head basketball coach Mike Hopkins said in October that Carter was “going through the process” and was unsure if he would return. Hopkins declined to issue a statement on Saturday, but he released the following statement on Friday after Carter announced he was leaving the program:
“Earlier this week, Nahziah and I spoke to discuss his status as a member of our men’s basketball program. In that conversation, he informed me that he will be leaving to pursue a professional basketball career. I am in agreement that this step forward can provide an opportunity for Nahziah’s growth and development.”
ESPN reported early on Saturday that Melbourne United, an Australian basketball team, was finalizing a deal with Carter. By Saturday evening, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reported the deal was “off the table.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 8:20 PM.
