University of Wisconsin police are investigating claims that sensitive photos and video of the women’s volleyball team are being circulated online. Members of the team alerted the police after discovering that private photos of them had gotten out to the public.
On Wednesday, the school released a statement about police opening their investigation. Wisconsin police believe some university policies and criminal statutes may have been violated, and the university noted that none of the athletes are being investigated for any kind of wrongdoing.
“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,” the school said in its statement. “The unauthorized sharing is a significant and wrongful invasion of the student-athletes’ privacy, including potential violations of university policies and criminal statutes. 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. Our top priority is supporting our student-athletes and we are providing them with appropriate resources and services.”
According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, private photos and video of the team’s celebration after winning the Big Ten Title in November were leaked online. Some of the photos featured images of topless players, and they were never meant to be posted in public.
