She’s kind of trashy,” “had the most vulgar mouth of any girl I’d ever seen” and “was unattractive but had big breasts,” were just some of the phrases Peyton Manning used to describe the Director of Health & Wellness at his then university.

The worst part about these quotes? They were entirely fabricated for the sole purpose of destroying the reputation of a single person in order to make a sexual assault disappear. And it worked.

The name Dr. Jamie Naughright gains little recognition, earning not a second thought. Yet when I say the name Peyton Manning, virtually everybody knows who I am referring to, and most have an extremely positive connotation.

However, there is an untold part of Manning’s fairytale story, the details of which destroy the pedestal we created for the pro-athlete. More importantly, the topic invokes a serious reevaluation of how we discuss and conduct investigations of sexual assault and rape.

In 1996, Peyton Manning allegedly sexually assaulted Dr. Jamie Naughright in the University of Tennessee training room while she treated his ankle. Dr. Naughright accused Manning of forcing his genitalia onto her face. The purpose of the word “allegedly” is because Manning assembled a team including his father, the athletic department, and Dr. Naughright’s superiors.

They arranged for the accusation and the incident to disappear altogether, ensuring that Manning never saw a day in a criminal court. After the incident, Dr. Naughright called a Crisis Line, eventually taking all of the appropriate actions to ensure that the inappropriate and inexcusable actions of the then student-athlete, Peyton Manning, were properly handled.

This would not be the case. Instead, by the end of the year, he remained the star of the show, as if nothing had happened.

During the school’s “investigation” of the incident, Mike Rollo, Dr. Naughright’s boss, and Manning went so far as to fabricate a story to cover up Manning’s actions in the training room.

The problem with this “he-said, she-said”? The teammate Manning added to the story to defend his side of events did not play along. In fact, this teammate wrote a letter to Manning pleading with him to own up to his actions.

After an agreement was reached, with Manning serving a two week suspension from the athletics dining hall because of the “incident” in the training room, Dr. Naughright was searching for a new job.

Dr. Naughright had achieved professional good standing and paved the way for females in the athletic training world. None of this mattered to Manning, his father, or her employer, the very institution she dedicated her passions and work ethic to for a decade.

However, the Manning brigade did not stop there. Years later, Dr. Naughright was settled in her new job at a different university. Disturbingly, Manning and his father violated the terms of the original agreement by including the incident in the publication of their biography. They including Manning’s fabricated version of what happened that day.

Manning publicly defamed Dr. Naughright. Her career was done. She sued Manning, and the case was heard despite objection from both of the Mannings.

The lies and stories from Manning unraveled on the stand, and it was settled out of court. He has yet to take responsibility for any of his actions and continues to deny the assault and the coverup. Dr. Naughright remains a victim without justice.

The success, career, and highly respected work of Dr. Jamie Naughright were destroyed by the lies and actions of one man and his posse of enablers. Not only was a crime committed, but the cover-up and the systematic destruction of the victim’s life are unforgivable.

Peyton Manning’s story has gone untold for over a decade. Rather ironically, his career has been built in part on the good ‘ol boy image he has exuded. He has been the NFL’s icon of virtue for over a decade through his perceived good values, despite having lived quite the opposite life.

As amazing as his athletic career has been, it does not compensate for or override the significance of his actions. He not only committed a crime and used his power to escape responsibility, but he threw his victim to the wolves. Twice. He continues to benefit from his inexcusable past without any movement to right the many wrongs.

Today it is clear that this football star has landed a special place in America’s heart. In 2003, the 74 court documents detailing the incident, the cover-up, and the lies told by Peyton Manning were made available, yet the media declined to give the events serious coverage.

Now, as a public previously unaware and naively in love with Peyton’s sportsmanlike and good-hearted football, many are quick to deny the details of his past and current lie. When the truth resurfaced, it lasted one media loop and was met with anger from devoted fans frustrated that another “scandal” arrived at the height of the career of another famous athlete.

This is the problem. When we fail to hold people accountable for their actions, we foster a culture that sympathizes with the accused and in turn, fails the victim in too many ways. Sexual assault, violence, and rape have been repeatedly shrugged off in the world of pro-sports.

When we watch the accused repeatedly defended, their actions justified across the media and sports channels, it becomes evident that the voice of the victim does not matter.

It does not matter what is achieved in the athletic world if our sports gods hold no respect for other humans. Peyton Manning treated Dr. Naughright in an incredibly dehumanizing way, and continues to carry out the lies he constructed.

No number of Super Bowl Championships can change that fact. Continuing to celebrate athletes and hold them above the law tells every boy and girl watching that the life and reputation of the accused is more important than the rights and wellbeing of the victim.

The longer we judge people by trophies won rather than their humanity, the longer a culture that perpetuates rape will exist.