Auburn Athletics released a statement Monday night regarding the two Auburn football players accused of harassing an Auburn University student Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The statement said junior Andrew Williams and freshman Dontavius Russell did not do anything with “disrespectful intent” to junior Ashley Ozyurt.
Ozyurt’s story, which was posted by Service Dog Memes, accused Williams and Russell of verbally assaulting her in the lobby of the Haley Center after she confronted them for distracting her service dog.
Ozyurt uses the dog to help her cope with PTSD, and told the media football head coach Gus Malzahn called after the incident to apologize to her for the way she was treated by the athletes.
Based on conversations they had with students, Auburn Athletics reported Williams made noises trying to get the dog’s attention because he did not understand the purpose of her having it, and did not know Ozyurt was a disabled veteran.
The statement also reported Russell was not involved in the incident and was only walking to class.
Both of the football players were reportedly raised by military families, and Williams has apologized in his own statement released by the athletics department:
“I want to take this opportunity to apologize for raising my voice. I was startled and totally misunderstood the situation. My mother and father who raised me both served in the military. I have tremendous respect for veterans. In the past week, I've learned a lot more about the role of service dogs for veterans and now better understand her courage to attend Auburn.”
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