Shades of the Crystal Mangum and Tawana Brawley rape allegations.
Via Trib Live:
The Seneca Valley student section wore blue Friday to honor seniors on the football field, in the band and on the cheerleading squad.
But some students at NexTier Stadium in Harmony for the game against Hempfield Area High School also used the night to publicly show support for a former classmate who, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents, was wrongly accused of sexual assault.
Referred to only as “T.F.” in court documents, the former Seneca Valley High School student was accused of assaulting two female classmates last year. Now, Michael J. and Alecia Flood of Zelienople, Butler County, have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that their son was terrorized by five “mean girls” — a phrase used in the lawsuit — who made those accusations.
Several student fans wrote or taped phrases such as “We Stand 4 Flood” on the back of their shirts. Similar phrases were also used on Twitter to show support.
“We wanted to get behind them and show that we support them,” Zach Brown, 18, a Seneca Valley senior, said of students’ efforts to support the teen and his family. Brown said he runs the Seneca Valley Student Section Twitter account, where a call to support the family was posted Thursday.
“Reading this story makes me sick to my stomach,” the post said, linking to a Trib story from Wednesday describing the lawsuit filed by the Floods. “This Friday we will show our support for the entire Flood family by putting #WeStand4Flood on the back of our Blue Out Shirts to support this amazing family!! #WeStand4Flood.”
The account description for the student section, which posts from the Twitter handle @SVStudntSection, says the account is led by students and not affiliated with Seneca Valley High School.
Brown and classmate Adam Baer, 18, also a senior, said students also are using the hashtag #SupportTheTruth in an effort to tap into national conversations around the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Several women have publicly accused Kavanaugh, a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court nominated by President Trump in July, of sexual assault. The Senate is expected to vote on his confirmation this weekend.
“We want to get to the bottom of it, regardless of what the outcome is,” said Baer, who added that he hopes the public will not jump to conclusions about the allegations of assault made against T.F.
“We’re not picking sides over ‘he said, she said,’” Brown said.
The 26-page lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh alleges T.F. “was forced to endure multiple court appearances, detention in a juvenile facility, detention at home, the loss of his liberty and other damages until several of the girls reluctantly admitted that their accusations were false.” The Floods seek unspecified civil damages against the girls’ parents, the school district and Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger’s office.
Mya Orgovan, 18, a senior at Seneca Valley High School, taped “Justice 4 Flood” to the back of her shirt Friday night.
“I’ve always known him to be such a sweet guy,” Orgovan said.
Orgovan said that she’s talked about the lawsuit and assault allegations with her friends. She hopes that T.F. is treated fairly.