Brown Men's Lacrosse Host NCAA Game in Season Marred By Sexual Assault Allegations

Brown Men's Lacrosse Host NCAA Game in Season Marred By Sexual Assault Allegations

The Brown University men's lacrosse team has had one of the most controversial seasons in Brown sports history.

Before the season began — two members of the team had allegedly sexually assaulted women in two separate incidents that took place during Halloween weekend in 2021.

Both men were suspended and then filed federal court cases.  The court cases were in full bloom as the team began practice for the season.

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The team started the season 5-4.

Brown will host the University of Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament — the game is scheduled for Saturday night.

The Ivy League regular-season champions (10-5, 4-2 Ivy League) were one of six Ivy League programs to earn a berth into the 2022 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.

The Bears are the eight-seed and will host Virginia (11-3, 5-1 ACC), the lone ACC program competing in the 2022 field.

"It's humbling to say the least," said head coach Mike Daly. "We have a great respect for this Tournament and we're glad that our body of work was worthy enough and now the work begins. We gotta win, that's all it is at this time of year. It's not about your opponent or anything, it's about making more plays than that opponent and moving on, that's all that matters."

Brown has had little to say about the two sexual assault allegations.

When the season began, sexual assault cases were overshadowing the team on the field.

In January, a federal court judge ruled that a Brown lacrosse player — who had been accused of sexual assault and suspended by the university — could return to campus during the college’s investigation into the allegations.

As GoLocal first reported earlier in January, two members of the men’s lacrosse team at Brown were accused this past fall of sexual assault. The two alleged unrelated incidents took place over the Halloween weekend and Brown placed both students on suspension. 

In two separate lawsuits, the alleged perpetrators were seeking federal court action to intervene so that they can continue at the university academically and play lacrosse this spring.

In the case of “John Stiles” — the first case filed in December using a pseudonym for the alleged attacker — United States District Judge Mary McElroy Tuesday ruled that Brown must allow him back on campus. 

Moreover, McElroy said “Stiles” could be allowed back on the lacrosse team. 

Court records show that after the second lawsuit on behalf of "David Smith” was filed on January 14, there were fifteen telephone conferences — and multiple motions to seal. 

As GoLocal reported, the "Smith” lawsuit was dismissed. 

Smith’s attorney Patrick Lynch said he had “no comment” on McElroy’s decision in the Stiles case.