A female water polo player at UC-Irvine has been accused of inappropriately touching the private parts of her opponents during a match.
Two unnamed Loyola Marymount players accused Nina Flynn, a redshirt sophomore at Irvine, of touching their intimate parts during a match on Feb. 16, according to the Orange County Register.
Flynn was suspended by UC-Irvine on Feb. 23; while her suspension was lifted on March 10, she remains under investigation by the university’s Title IX department.
Alison P. Saros, an attorney for Flynn, denied the allegations in a statement to the Register.
“Nina maintains she is not responsible in any way for the allegations and that after with [the] Title IX [office] and film analysis and other evidence presented the suspension was lifted and she was allowed to return to the pool while the investigation continues,” the attorney told the outlet.
Flynn scored four goals in Irvine’s 11-8 victory in the contest against Loyola Marymount.
David Tedesco, a parent of one of Flynn’s water polo teammates, launched a GoFundMe to assist with Flynn’s legal defense.
“A violation under the applicable Title IX Regulations only requires the intentional touching of a Complainant’s intimate body part(s) without consent, whether clothed or unclothed. An intimate body part is defined as the genitals, anus, groin, breast, or buttocks,” the GoFundMe says.
“There are no exceptions. With a definition so broad, every water polo game, male or female, is full of such Title IX violations.
“Based upon these accusations, UCI could expel Nina from UCI and refer the matter for criminal prosecution, or exclude her from the UCI women’s water polo team, among other sanctions. In addition to the 2023 season, Nina has two more seasons of NCAA eligibility left.”
The GoFundMe has raised over $27,000 as of Thursday morning.
“Nina and the rest of the UCI women’s water polo team vehemently deny these accusations and are determined to not only fight for Nina’s innocence, but also for the integrity of water polo,” the fundraiser continues.
“If a Title IX investigation becomes the forum for alleged game time transgressions, chaos to all water polo programs will result.
“The legal defense of a Title IX claim is a highly specialized field of law, and the Flynn family has hired legal counsel to defend against these false accusations.”