Tiffany Reese

Thank you so much.

What has been the most positive outcome that you've seen since speaking out?

What would you say to someone entering the Title IX process today?

What would you want them to know?

Thank you so much for saying that.

It's truly an honor and I appreciate so much your kind words.

Next time on Something Was Wrong.

The following is University of Utah's reply to our request for comment.

Quote, Utah Valley University student Marissa Root reported being sexually assaulted by a University of Utah football player at an off-campus party in 2019.

After Root made an initial report to the University of Utah's Office of Equal Opportunity, staff repeatedly reached out to her to try to ascertain the name of the perpetrator.

When the University of Utah learned the alleged perpetrator was football player Sione Lund, he was suspended and removed from the team.

Lund pled guilty and was sentenced in 2023.

This is a tragic case with far-reaching implications for everyone involved.

We hope Marissa and the people who love and support her find opportunities for healing from this traumatic experience.

The university remains committed to engaging in work to prevent violence from happening in the first place and fostering a trauma-informed community where students feel safe, supported, and heard.

As Judge David Barlow noted in his March 3, 2025 ruling, quote, the university had no involvement or control over the party at the football player's parents' private residence.

Additionally, reliance on the 2019 player's policy manual's general instruction

that football players should treat women with respect both on and off campus does not mean that the university has control over the context of virtually every off-campus location in which one or more of its athletes attend a private party.

Because this record does not supply the required nexus between the university and the off-campus party at a private residence, the university cannot be liable under Title IX."

Utah Valley University responded to our request for comment with the following statement.