5 Gophers, alleged victim reach settlement, restraining orders dismissed

Restraining orders against five University of Minnesota football players were dismissed Wednesday in a settlement that still requires the players to stay 20 feet away from the alleged victim of a Sept. 2 incident.

Ray Buford, KiAnte Hardin, Tamarion Johnson, Dior Johnson and Carlton Djam had been under orders since Oct. 21 to stay away from the woman's apartment and TCF Bank Stadium, where she takes part in the university's gameday operations.

All five players and the woman were present in the courtroom as Judge Mel Dickstein read through the settlement. It requires the players to have no contact with the alleged victim, and for the University of Minnesota to "take all reasonable steps to enforce the order."

The school later released a statement saying, "We will continue to honor and comply with court orders."

Dickstein announced the settlement Wednesday afternoon following a morning of testimony from the alleged victim detailing the Sept. 2 incident.

"I'm glad this is over," she said in a statement after the hearing. "This has never been about punishing anyone, I just wanted to feel safe. Because of this resolution that we came to, now I do."

The attorney for the players, Lee Hutton, said after the hearing "the goal is for all parties to put this chapter behind us."

The dismissal clears the way for the players to participate in home games, pending team and/or university approval. The Gophers play at home on Saturday against Purdue.

The Gophers suspended Hardin, Buford, Tamarion Johnson and Dior Johnson for three games while Minneapolis police investigated, but they were reinstated to the team when no charges were filed.

Asked for his reaction to the news, coach Tracy Claeys said, "I really don't have one. … Whatever the courts say we would honor, but we did not allow it to adjust anything we did practice-wise any of the weeks."