Two former DePaul softball players now refute claims in Lenti lawsuit
Morgan Greenwood celebrates with her teammates after defeating Providence on April 13, 2019.
Two former DePaul softball players have now come forward to deny allegations of abuse by former softball coach Eugene Lenti laid out in a lawsuit filed in April.
Morgan Greenwood, who played for DePaul’s softball team from 2015-2019 and was a captain of the team, reached out to The DePaulia on June 30, saying the allegations against Lenti are “unequivocally false.”
“As one of coach Lenti’s former student-athletes, who was at every practice, home game, away game, and all the team meetings in between, I have an issue with what has been written in these articles,” Greenwood wrote in the email.
“I can honestly say that I was never grabbed, slapped, pulled, (including by my ponytail), punched, or physically assaulted in any other way by Eugene Lenti. I have never been called a f***ing whore nor have I heard him call any of my teammates f***ing whores during my time at DePaul.”
Brianna Viles, who also played on the team from 2015-2019, reached out to The DePaulia Wednesday to echo Greenwood’s claims, saying that it “breaks her heart” to hear of the allegations against Lenti.
“I would first and foremost like to openly deny any and all false allegations that Eugene was physically and verbally abusive to his players and staff,” Viles wrote in an email to The DePaulia. “Eug is a warm-hearted and family-oriented man. He was like a father figure to me and regardless of how I performed on the field, I always knew I could go to him for anything and everything, no matter what! Eug always had his players best interest at heart.”
Greenwood and Viles spent the first three years of their DePaul career playing under Lenti before he retired in the summer of 2018. In their senior year, they played under new softball head coach Tracie Adix-Zins, who also played softball under Lenti and was the 2007 Big East Pitcher of the Year.
Both Viles’ and Greenwood’s remarks directly contradict the accusations laid out by sports psychologist Dr. Jenny Conviser, who sued DePaul in April alleging verbal and physical abuse of players and assistant coaches by Lenti.
Conviser claims that as a mandated reporter of Title IX issues, she shared details of Lenti’s alleged abuse — including calling female softball players “f—–g whores” and punching their bodies — with the athletic department, and the office did not conduct an independent investigation of his behavior. If true, this would be a violation of Title IX, which says that immediate action, independent of law enforcement, must be taken by universities upon receiving notice of sexual violence or harassment.
The DePaulia reported on Conviser’s allegations in April. Read the lawsuit here.
The case is now in federal court after DePaul requested to move venues. DePaul also filed a motion to dismiss all charges in June, but their motion was denied as moot. Since then, Conviser has filed an amended complaint, which puts her more in the center of the case.
Conviser is accusing DePaul of wrongful retaliation under Title IX, breach of contract, defamation and false light, based on her mandatory involvement in reporting that Lenti had physically abused his female assistant coach and abused his female players.
Conviser is alleging that DePaul fired her because she blew the whistle on Lenti’s alleged verbal abuse in 2016 and punching an associate head coach in the face in 2018. In the new complaint that was filed in June, Conviser also said that she was at the heart of taking on athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto and taking down Lenti by having him removed from the university for his abusive conduct to his players.
“I can genuinely say that without Eugene Lenti, I would not be the person I am today,” Greenwood wrote in the email.
Greenwood declined an interview request with The DePaulia.
Update (July 8, 2020): This story has been updated to reflect a second player, Brianna Viles, coming forward to refute allegations of abuse by former softball coach Eugene Lenti.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Darnell • Jul 12, 2020 at 4:54 pm
I know no retaliation supposed to happen since I involved in Title IX case. I checked over and over and over and told no retaliation like expelling me could happen and on website back then. Not supposed to happen.
Darnell • Jul 8, 2020 at 3:49 pm
Thank you for update on article DePaulia and other articles and you doing real good job. Many alumni just angry and confused about it and no help to us that DePaul leadership not speaking on it.
Darnell • Jul 8, 2020 at 10:24 am
Mean to say leaders who failed everyone was General Counsel, Vice Presidents, President, Board of Trustees. They made this get out of hand and hurt everybody else.
Darnell • Jul 7, 2020 at 11:00 pm
If I recall website in 2016-2018 said could tell Title IX Deputy if hear of problem. Conviser did. In Athletics. Leaders who failed General Counsel, Vice Presidents, President, Board of Trustees. Shame.
Darnell • Jul 7, 2020 at 8:47 pm
People say Eug may have lawsuit if Title IX Office did not treat him fairly. That may have happened. Jean may have one too. Whether anything happened or not does not matter to Conviser I don’t think because she reported what she knew to Title IX Deputies in Athletics, management responsible for all, or Title IX Office at the time in 2016 to 2018 as supposed to. Glad Morgan well. I actually wish all luck. DePaul and its leaders failed us making this a mess for everyone when it never had to be.
Will Schubert • Jul 7, 2020 at 8:25 pm
Oh, and let’s not forget the militant left lunatic fringe admonishing DePaul to end its affiliation with the Chicago Police Department and to of course defund the department and send ACSW educated social workers and Saul Alinksy proteges to Bronzville, Pill Hill, Englewood and Burnside the next time a black thug murders an innocent black child because his aim sucks and he, the shooter, is essentially worthless. You know, black lives matter, and the monomanichial basement dwelling unemployable agnostic rainbow flag flying morons that DePaul seemingly has admitted enmasse are setting the tone, agenda and tenor of what this University will likely become. I’ll be sure not to attend incipient president Donald Lemon’s ascentionto the University president’s role.
I agree with the previous commentator’s position on nepotism. DePaul, circa 1976, was a much different place than it is today (I cannot recall seeing even one woman with purple hair and chartreuse teeth back then) and let us pray that the “Lenti Epoch” is forever over. Hers was the classic case of the Peter Principle embodied and look how it ended. Hopefully the administration, inept as it seems to be and had been, learned this lesson, albeit in a very harsh and expensive way.
Carol where are you? • Jul 7, 2020 at 2:17 pm
This is probably the biggest University story right now and DePaulia talking about food and TV shows. MIchael, you real good and I wish that you were with DePaul. Please keep it up. We need you. Only two men speaking up. Women are silent. Thanks for nothing. Student Affairs and Athletics are village idiots and political hacks. Where is investigative reporter Carol Marin? We need you. Were the other girls just nasty liers? Were they just lying cheats? Or was there something there? Even if they were liers, Conviser had a MANDATORY duty to report it to Title IX once students told her or her staff. She does not investigate or decide. Say faculty member hears from student that another faculty member raped her. That faculty member must come forward to Title IX if true or not. There can be NO retaliation for coming forward per Obama and U.S. Supreme Court. Google search easy enough to say this. Even Trump has not reversed this and that says a lot. Good for him. Student Affairs and General Counsel protected people who broke Title IX. Shame on them. President and Board of Trustees, can you not figure out what is happening and help? Stop watching Net Flix and do job. Only Michael and me, two men, standing up for this when you ALL know it was wrong.
Michael Patrick • Jul 7, 2020 at 1:22 pm
Morgan,
I have never had the pleasure to meet you, yet your response in the DePaulia was very powerful and courageous. You directly contradict the allegations of physical and verbal abuse on DePaul’s Softball team, as laid out by Jennifer Conviser’s attorney. Your time with the softball team covers the period of time in question, 2016-2018.
I am glad you were able to utilize some of my previous verbiage as a template to defend your coach, Eugene Lenti. If I am not mistaken, this is the first article the DePaulia has written and published that paints Eugene Lenti in a positive light – related to these allegations and civil lawsuit. (DePaulia can only publish what is presented to them. I don’t believe it’s personal.) I can tell you, I am somewhat relieved by your comments. Thank you!
I am a strong believer that most work-related issues – and all personal disagreements – can be resolved without the use of attorneys. Unfortunately, now that the horse has left the barn, and there are so many people involved, an amicable resolution will require a court determination. Even still, the DePaulia continues to serve a vital service that COULD help conclude this case.
As an admitted outsider to this case, yet someone who MIGHT be able to provide an objective – and free – perspective, I respectfully suggested three things occur to conclude this case – at least, in the eyes of public opinion. As I stated twice previously, none of these recommendations require legal or university input or approval, guidance or financial investment. To date, none have been fully achieved. They are:
1) A letter from the assistant coach, who was allegedly punched in the face, denying such a crime occurred. Morgan, since you were “at every practice, home game, away game, and all the team meetings in between,” you might have seen or definitely heard fellow teammates and coaches discuss or acknowledge this heinous allegation. Based on this article, you state all allegations are “unequivocally false.” Even if the coach in question wishes to remain anonymous – although she was already outed – the DePaulia could easily protect this person. Hopefully, this letter will be published, with appropriate redactions, in the DePaulia, this week;
2) A letter written, voluntarily, by the student- athlete who witnessed the alleged assault – possibly denying or recanting. Based on the extraction of your email, I am left to believe there is no such player. Therefore, based on your assessment, Jennifer Conviser’s position the Title IX Officer exposed the identity of the accuser could not be accurate. Obviously, you and your teammates would know the identity. You don’t. The DePaulia can verify this;
3) A letter signed by all team members, voluntarily, from the time in question, denying the use of abusive language, by Eugene Lenti – including being called, “f***ing whores.” You made it very clear that you never heard or know of any player who experienced such abuse by Eugene Lenti. It is not necessary to publish the names of players to verify. The DePaulia can handle this point discreetly enough to protect all identities.
For me, this is such a simple resolution that costs nothing. However, now that lawyers are involved in the civil case, this has become very expensive and damaging.
This situation paints two opposite positions: one alleges criminal acts occurred and upon reporting such, the plaintiff was fired, defamed and presented in a false light. The players, like you, suggest there was no criminal assault and no verbal abuse ever occurred. In fact, I conclude by this article, you are stating such allegations to be a mere fabrication. As the captain of the teams in question, you should know, correct?
As this matter is now bigger than DePaul Softball, it’s DePaul University as a whole, I hope the DePaulia is able to secure the above information in a timely manner. In addition, I expect the DePaulia to be able to publish any and all related information from DePaul’s Public Safety Office and Chicago Police Department. Since these were public allegations going back two years, DePaul Public Safety would have investigated this matter – for no other reason than to ensure no crime(s) occurred on campus or elsewhere to its employee(s) or student(s).
Based on this article, I believe the DePaulia needs to conduct one final, intense investigation. If they conclude there is nothing here, then there will be no public interest in this case. Eugene Lenti’s good name is restored. This will simply be a workplace – separation issue. From my perspective, as long as no player or female coach was assaulted, then I could care less about this lawsuit.
A costly lesson DePaul University must learn from its athletic department is they must establish stronger institutional policies against nepotism. This will eliminate the impression of favoritism or misdeeds. By prohibiting relatives from reporting to one another, it removes so many potential legal headaches – mind you, there’s still another Lenti brother, Mike, who has worked for Jean Lenti – Ponsetto for the last 35+ years. Talk about nepotism! This has been an employment culture at DePaul, dating back to the saintly, Fr. John Richardson, and before. I understand it’s rationale, yet like most reputable employers, its time has come and gone.
Again, thank you Morgan. You were very strong to come forth. I wish you amazing success in your future endeavors. Stay safe and healthy!