A.J. Johnson, Michael Williams rape trial: What to know in ex-UT Vols football players' case

Opening statements began today in the trial of former Tennessee linebacker A.J. Johnson and ex-teammate Michael Williams. They are accused of raping a woman, also a UT athlete, in Johnson’s bedroom during a party in November 2014 at his apartment after the football team won a game.

As the trial opened Monday, prosecutor Kyle Hixson made clear that the culture surrounding athletes at UT, particularly under former football coach Butch Jones, was going to be at issue.

Johnson and Williams contend the accuser had consensual sex with both of them and only alleged rape after word began to spread among partygoers. At least one witness told police he saw the accuser chatting with Williams and Johnson after the alleged rape and overheard Johnson protest when Williams asked for the accuser’s phone number.

Here's a brief recap of the trial and Tennessee's history with allegations against student-athletes. Check back here for continuing coverage.

Knoxville PD's relationship with UT athletics focus as trial starts

When detectives sat down to question A.J. Johnson about the rape accusation against him, a top Vols official joined them.

Mike Ward, then the University of Tennessee's senior associate athletic director, sat in on every interview of UT football players in the case against Johnson, a star Vols linebacker, and fellow player Michael Williams, prosecutors revealed in court Monday. The pair are standing trial on charges they raped a female athlete during a party at Johnson’s South Knoxville apartment in November 2014.

Even prosecutors criticized the tactic in opening statements to the jury.

Under ordinary police procedure, "you would never have a third-party civilian in that room with you," Kyle Hixson, an assistant Knox County prosecutor, told jurors.

JOHNSON-WILLIAMS TRIAL:Police let Vol Athletics Department monitor questioning of Johnson, Williams

"Me too," campaign, threesomes among topics for jurors

A jury of seven women, five men and three female alternates was tapped late Friday afternoon in Knox County Criminal Court in the case against former UT linebacker A.J. Johnson and ex-teammate Michael Williams.

The questions during the week-long jury selection process often touched on what jurors' thought about interracial relationships and the morality of sex before marriage. 

JOHNSON-WILLIAMS TRIAL:Jury in A.J. Johnson, Michael Williams rape case largely female, largely white

Tennessee student culture is questioned

In the years between the alleged assault and the start of the trial, the culture at UT and how the school treated athletes came into sharp focus.

In 2016, six women filed a federal lawsuit claiming the University of Tennessee created a student culture that enabled sexual assaults by student-athletes, especially football players.

The suit also claimed the school used an unusual, legalistic adjudication process that is biased against victims who step forward.

UT VOLS CAMPUS CULTURE:Sweeping sex-assault suit filed against University of Tennessee

Tennessee accused of "lenient disciplinary" actions

In 2015, a former Vice Chancellor at Tennessee shared his concerns about the school's disciplinary process involving athletes. 

The University of Tennessee athletics department inappropriately pressured officials in charge of campus discipline and exerted undue influence that placed students and institutional integrity in "peril," according to a former vice chancellor.

Tim Rogers, a 38-year veteran of the university, oversaw the office that investigated allegations of student misconduct. The former vice chancellor for student life confirmed to The Tennessean that he authored documents that outlined his concerns about pressure from athletics department administrators regarding how athletes should be disciplined for misconduct ranging from minor infractions to sexual assaults.

The issue at hand was whether Tim Rogers, head of office that investigates allegations on student misconduct, was pressured to be more lenient in the discipline imposed on student-athletes. Chancellor Jimmy Cheek told The Tennessean that by 2013 he had heard from several stakeholders, including the athletics department, that Rogers' staff was too strict in how it disciplined athletes and non-athletes.

UT VOLS CAMPUS CULTURE: UT athletics accused of influencing student discipline

Butch Jones cellphone records show calls with Drae Bowles

Cellphone records released in March 2016 showed a flurry of phone calls from UT head football coach Butch Jones to police and players in the early hours of Nov. 16, shortly after a woman said she was raped by two members of the UT football team.

The phone records corroborate a timeline outlined by former UT player Drae Bowles in a sworn declaration submitted as part of a sweeping federal lawsuit brought against UT by eight unnamed women over the university's handling of sexual assaults by athletes, especially football players.

In his sworn declaration, Bowles said he had come to the aid of a friend who was crying and hyperventilating. The woman told Bowles she had just been raped by football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams, according to the lawsuit. Bowles drove her to her apartment, where she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

JOHNSON-WILLIAMS RAPE CASE: Butch Jones phone records show calls with Drae Bowles

Johnson, Williams learn of rape investigation from coaches

University of Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams learned they were under investigation for rape from their Tennessee football coaches — in Johnson’s case, four hours before police showed up at the scene of the alleged crime to question him, according to sources and cell phone records obtained by The Tennessean.

Contrary to police best practices, potentially threatening the integrity of the investigation and in possible violation of state law, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch and a detective made “professional courtesy” calls to Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones about the investigation — a practice Rausch says is common when police investigate alleged crimes involving an athlete at Tennessee.

JOHNSON-WILLIAMS RAPE CASE:Did KPD calls to Butch Jones violate state law?

David Rausch's "courtesy calls" to Butch Jones will cease

Knoxville police Chief David Rausch will stop making "courtesy calls" to Tennessee football coach Butch Jones to alert him when players are under criminal investigation.

UT VOLS CAMPUS CULTURE: Police chief to end 'courtesy calls' to Tennessee coach Butch Jones