Defense Department says Air Force Academy lax in reporting

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) The U.S. Defense Department has released a report criticizing a former leader of the Air Force Academy but saying he didn’t impede an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use by football players.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported (http://tinyurl.com/ju2hyom ) that the Pentagon’s inspector general found that former superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould shielded a football coach from questioning.

However, the report released Friday says the Air Force Office of Special Investigations didn’t insist on interviewing the coach or document allegations of command interference.

The Air Force Academy issued a statement saying the report found no system-wide problem.

The inspector general says there’s no documented evidence of special treatment for a football player suspected of drug use and complaints about an officer’s interference in a sexual assault case.

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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com