Former NFL Player Launches Global Movement to Fight Sexual Assault Predators, Promote Institutional Accountability, and Unite Survivors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 14, 2022

On Friday, October 14, former NFL player Jon Vaughn will announce the launch of a groundbreaking new movement One Solidarity at the The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD) ceremony where he is being honored with its prestigious Humanitarian Award. The former University of Michigan and NFL running back Jon Vaughn is one of more than 1,000 people, many of whom are Black men, who say they were sexually abused by U-M’s former athletics team physician, Robert Anderson, during a time period spanning close to 40 years. Their claims have been supported by an independent report commissioned by the university in 2021. Vaughn camped out to protest in front of the University of Michigan’s President residence to demand that the U-M administration acknowledge and address the Anderson allegations and sexual assault on campus.

PAVE Founder Angela Rose said, “The lack of response, compassion and empathy from the leadership of the University of Michigan is a travesty and sends a chilling message to all survivors on campuses across the country. The unimaginable harm caused by the crimes committed against Jon and countless other survivors by Dr. Anderson is exacerbated by the systems that protect the perpetrators and the establishment, actively conceal these abuses, gaslight survivors, and misdirect the public. Jon’s powerful voice in our national movement deserves to be celebrated. He is a hero, a beacon of hope, and we couldn’t be prouder to partner in shattering the silence of sexual violence.”

One Solidarity is also launching in the wake of the appalling news about the US Soccer Federation’s report of verbal and sexual abuse of student athletes.

“Jon Vaughn has displayed great courage in drawing attention to the damaging impact of sexual assault on athletes, as well as the prevalence of this abuse across the country,” says Dr. Steven Ungerleider, GSD executive board member. “He is a worthy recipient of this award, and we applaud his tireless efforts to demand justice and change.”

Jon’s passion for systemic change has led to an invitation for a meeting with the Co-Chair of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence with PAVE to discuss accountability measures for Universities receiving federal grant funding for research; Jon’s alma mater, the University of Michigan, received $893 million for federally sponsored research expenditures last year alone. As an Ambassador for PAVE, Jon has also been an invited speaker at high schools, colleges and sporting organizations.

When Jon played football for the University of Michigan, its fiercest rival was Ohio State University. Yet recently, the University of Michigan and six other prominent midwest universities have “coalesced” behind (Ohio State University) in its ongoing effort to halt the case (brought by hundreds of alleged male survivors) from ever being tried in a court of law. Of note, these eight universities combined received over $2 billion in federal funds to support research in FY 2020 alone; several have themselves enabled mass sexual abuses of student athletes.

“I can’t change what happened to me or the other survivor athletes at my university, but we aim to make this and every other campus safer today and in the future,” said Vaughn. “We can shatter the silence about this dark issue plaguing us. This is a human problem that is sadly happening across the country. Coaches and medical staff are the most powerful and trusted people in a student athlete’s life, and that trust continues to be abused. We invite you to join the One Solidarity movement to create needed change. We are an army of survivors unified and together, we will fight for victims rights and to keep student athletes safe. I’m proud to partner with PAVE in this movement.”

Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment is a 501c3 charity that is leading the national movement in shattering the silence of sexual violence with education, advocacy and support for survivors. Vaughn is a PAVE Ambassador, Speaker and champion for the cause. Actor and former N.F.L. player Terry Crews who is supportive of PAVE’s work said, “PAVE is truly paving the way for a new future and paving the way for so many survivors to be free.” In 2018, Terry Crews spoke out about his own experience with sexual assault during an emotional testimony at the United States Senate.

For more information, visit OneSolidarity.org. To donate and support this movement, please click here.

ABOUT PAVE

Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment (PAVE) is a national nonprofit with headquarters in Chicago that works to both prevent sexual assault and help survivors heal through advocacy, education, and survivor support. For over two decades, PAVE has trained hundreds of thousands students, athletes, military service members, and maintains chapters across the world. PAVE has reached millions through social and traditional media including: NBC, CNN, FOX News, CBS News, ABC News, The Today Show, Good Morning America, USA Today, and TIME.  ShatteringTheSilence.org

ABOUT JON VAUGHN

Vaughn is an award-winning college and professional athlete who played for the University of Michigan and in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Pittsburgh Steelers, concluding his professional football career in NFL Europe. When over one-thousand people sued the University of Michigan for sexual abuse perpetrated by a doctor on faculty spanning several decades, Vaughn was one of very few to do so publicly– making it clear that he is Jon Vaughn, not John Doe. He has been among the most courageous and outspoken critics of his alma mater and has served as an unwavering champion of survivors. https://www.shatteringthesilence.org/jon-vaughn

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

The Foundation for Global Sports Development, established in 1996, was born out of a desire to promote and protect the best parts of sport. Guided by its original mission, the foundation delivers and supports initiatives that promote accessible, fair, and abuse-free sport for youth. The foundation achieves this objective through grants, awards, educational projects, and filmmaking. In 2015, the foundation launched its media company, Sidewinder Films, to inspire and educate audiences through films that shed light on the remarkable, untold stories that celebrate the sport of life. Visit www.globalsportsdevelopment.org and www.sidewinderfilms.org to learn more.