The UW-Madison Police Department has opened an investigation into leaked nude photos and videos of University of Wisconsin women volleyball players, the school announced last week.
The graphic content includes a photo of numerous players lifting their sports bras after a win in November.
The private images and videos were published on a website, and most of the content has reportedly since been removed, though it is still circulating online.
“We are aware that private photos and video of UW volleyball student-athletes that were never intended to be shared publicly are being circulated digitally,” University of Wisconsin athletics said in a statement shared online Wednesday.
“The unauthorized sharing is a significant and wrongful invasion of the student-athletes’ privacy, including potential violations of university policies and criminal statutes,” it added.
“When the student-athletes became aware of the circulating photos, they contacted the UW-Madison Police Department. UWPD is investigating multiple crimes, including sharing sensitive photos without consent.”
“UWPD is not investigating the volleyball student-athletes for wrongdoing in this matter,” the statement concluded. “Our top priority is supporting our student-athletes and we are providing them with the appropriate services and resources.”
Statement from UW Athletics pic.twitter.com/M2lK2OYg8a
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) October 19, 2022
The girls’ coach, Kelly Sheffield, told Madison.com that he didn’t want to comment other than to say he’s in full support of his players. The coach echoed the school, noting that the student-athletes would not face disciplinary action.
Sheffield has been coaching at the university for nine years, leading the Badgers to a 2021 NCAA Championship and qualifying for the NCAA Final Four four times in his tenure — in 2013, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
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