Jimbo Fisher says he was unaware of FSU sexual battery policy in deposition

In a deposition taken in an ongoing Title IX lawsuit against Florida State brought by a woman who said she was raped by quarterback Jameis Winston, head coach Jimbo Fisher said he was unaware of the school's policy on sexual battery.

Fisher was deposed on Sept. 22 as part of a lawsuit brought by Erica Kinsman, who accused Winston of raping her in December 2012. Her lawsuit against FSU's board of trustees alleges that the school was "deliberately indifferent" to her report of a sexual assault and that its response deprived her of educational opportunities in violation of her rights under Title IX.

FSU released a heavily-redacted version of the 186-page deposition on Wednesday in response to a public records request from USA TODAY Sports. It also released a 183-page deposition from Melissa Ashton, the assistant dean of students and director of the Victim Advocate Program at FSU.

Fisher said in the deposition that around December 2012 and January 2013, around the time the allegation against Winston was first reported to police and initially investigated, that he was not aware of FSU's policy about sexual battery. Instead, he relied on procedure.

"I was to report to my superior," Fisher said.

Fisher said he could not recall an October 2014 statement FSU provided to the New York Times which stated that the athletics department became aware of the allegation against Winston in January 2013.

The school previously admitted that Fisher and senior associate athletics director Monk Bonasorte were aware of the allegation in January 2013 but did not notify the Title IX coordinator or the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

FSU has previously argued in filings in the lawsuit that an "appropriate person" was not aware of the harassment Kinsman alleged and could not take corrective action.

Asked in his deposition what he knew of Title IX, Fisher responded that he understood it to be "equality in men's sports to women's sports."