Truett McConnell University has placed its president on leave as the institution investigates allegations of sexual assault against the school’s former vice president.
In a statement published on Facebook Friday, the Georgia-based Baptist university announced the additional steps it’s taken following the emergence of allegations of sexual assault against former Vice President Bradley Reynolds.
TMU’s Board of Trustees “met out of genuine concern” and “with broken hearts” last Friday as it sought to address the situation. The meeting resulted in the unanimous approval of a third-party investigation into the sexual assault allegations to be conducted by Richard Hyde of Phoenix Research LLC. Additionally, they placed Truett McConnell President Emir Caner on administrative leave until the completion of the investigation and the appointment of John Yarbrough as acting president.
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Truett McConnell requested continued prayers for the campus community as well as “all parties involved.”
The decision by the school comes after The Roys Report published a story late last month outlining allegations of sexual assault by Reynolds and maintaining that Caner knew about the school employee’s misbehavior but didn’t do anything about it until law enforcement got involved.
The allegations came from Hayle Swinson, a student-athlete at the school who was later employed by the institution as a soccer coach from 2013 to 2018.
Reynolds told Swinson via more than 300 emails that he had “wet dreams” about her and touched her inappropriately during discipleship classes that took place in the basement of his home. Swinson accused Reynolds of engaging in “digital rape,” telling The Roys Report: “I was groomed, I was confused, I was targeted.”
“I felt isolated, like I was alone. … It took, and it has taken, and it will take years of my life to unwind every lie that was told to me,” she added.
Truett McConnell responded in a May 30 statement, insisting that the university handled the allegations appropriately.
“In February 2024, Dr. Reynolds notified TMU leadership that he was under investigation by the White County Sheriff’s Office regarding an inappropriate relationship,” the institution stated.
“Dr. Reynolds was immediately placed on administrative leave and his employment with TMU ended in a matter of days.”
While a police report noted the presence of “hundreds of graphic emails sent by Reynolds from his personal Yahoo account,” the investigator determined that there was not “enough evidence in the case to seek prosecution at this time.” This prompted the closure of the investigation in the early summer of 2024.
“While local law enforcement decided not to pursue charges, the fact remains that Dr. Reynolds’ behavior was abhorrent, immoral, manipulative and unethical,” Truett McConnell declared.
“Had there been a Title IX or HR complaint filed related to this matter, Reynolds would have been immediately investigated and ultimately dismissed.”
Truett McConnell rejected the assertion from The Roys Report that Jonathan Morris, who served as the school’s Title IX Coordinator from 2010-2020, was fired as a “whistleblower.” The institution detailed how he was “asked to resign after a series of unauthorized, personal expenses on his University-issued credit card totaling over $12,000.”
“In one instance, Morris charged a $7,000 personal expense to his TMU credit card shortly after requesting a credit limit increase to pay for freshman orientation expenses. Morris’ repeated behavior, which was flagged by the University’s external auditor, necessitated the decision to end his employment,” TMU claimed.
In its May statement, the university said it “is committed to providing a caring, supportive, Christ-centered environment for all students, faculty and staff,” adding that whenever “complaints of sexual discrimination, harassment or other misconduct are reported, investigations are promptly initiated and timely concluded, with all parties being apprised of the status and ultimate outcome.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
