After a nationally notorious sex scandal that embarrassed Truett McConnell University and resulted in President Emir Caner’s dismissal, a number of unanswered questions pertaining to events at the small Baptist university in Cleveland persist.
Among other questions, officials of the university and the state’s Baptist organization would not or did not answer:
- Was anyone else, in addition to former President Emir Caner, identified or disciplined in connection with the alleged sexual abuse?
• Was Caner’s departure technically a resignation or firing?
• Are Baptist groups investigating what occurred at TMU or any other Georgia Baptist college?
• What new measures are in place to prevent and punish further inappropriate acts?
Richard Hyde, an outside investigator based at a prominent Atlanta law firm, orally delivered a comprehensive report to the TMU Board of Trustees in closed session on Sept. 25. Hyde had conducted a two-month inquiry at the behest of the trustees, and he reportedly questioned many TMU faculty, staff and students. After Hyde presented his findings to the trustees, they announced the following day that the university was “separating” from then-President Caner.
But no one connected to the investigation will say whether Hyde specifically found that Caner had known about the scandal and ignored it, though there were unofficial allegations to that effect. Spokespersons for both the university and the trustees declined to say whether Hyde had found any other culpability among Truett McConnell faculty or staff, and how any other accusations were being pursued, if at all.
The chairman of the TMU Board of Trustees, Dr. Robby Foster, declined to say whether Caner resigned or was fired, and would not disclose the Hyde report’s details about what, if anything, Caner knew and when he knew it.
Hyde himself has not offered any details of the report to the public, explaining that his responsibility was to the trustees alone, and his report and the decision as to how to handle it rested with the trustees. Wood says there is no written version of the report.
Trustee Chair Declines to Answer on TMU Staff, Follow-Up
Foster, the chairman of the TMU trustees, acknowledged receipt of an email from a Now Habersham reporter and made one unsuccessful attempt to reach the reporter by phone approximately four weeks ago.
The reporter followed up by email to Foster, who is also senior pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta. The email included seven questions and read as follows:
“We would like to afford you every opportunity to be transparent with the public and with TMU’s many students, alumni, and supporters. Some questions for you:
- Do you intend to release the Hyde report and its findings to the TMU community and public at large? If so, when? If not, why not?
- Is there any indication in the report that others on campus, beside former President Caner, may have ignored the situation involving Dr. Reynolds and Ms. Swinson? Will they be disciplined?
- Is there any possibility of further disciplinary action against anyone else on TMU staff or faculty with regard to their own misconduct or overlooking [former Vice President] Bradley Reynolds’ alleged misconduct?
- Will you release faculty and staff from their non-disclosure agreements or non-disparagement agreements, so they are free to discuss the matter with the press and public?
- Would you allow Mr. Hyde to discuss his findings with [a reporter]?
- Have the trustees shared the Hyde report and any other information related to the scandal with the Georgia Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Convention, or other governing body? Have these bodies responded with words or action?
- According to another news organization’s report, you [Foster] were allegedly informed of the Swinson scandal long before it came to light via the Christian podcast — and did not act. Is this true? Were you named in the Hyde Report? Would you be willing to be interviewed about your knowledge of these events at TMU?”
On Nov. 3, Foster wrote back from his church’s email address. The email reads, in full:
“Joshua, After consulting with board members and our lawyers we agreed that we released a statement to the media following the actions of the board meeting and have no further comments at this time. Please do not contact me. I will have no comment.
Robby”
The Background of the Allegations
Hayle Swinson, a former student-athlete who later joined the TMU staff, accused Bradley
Reynolds, then vice president of academic services, of spiritually manipulating and eventually raping her during her years at TMU. When the allegations were brought to Caner’s attention, some say he ignored them and allegedly retaliated against those who raised concerns about Reynolds’ behavior. TMU’s former Title IX coordinator, Jonathan Morris, and former Vice President of Student Services Chris Eppling were reportedly pushed out of their jobs after voicing concerns. The school has denied that these departures were retaliatory.
Swinson says the abuse began in 2009 and continued through her graduation and her several years as a junior staff member at the university.
Reynolds served at Truett McConnell from 2009 to 2024. He left the university after Swinson reported the allegations against him to local law enforcement, but no charges have been brought against Reynolds — possibly because the statute of limitations had expired. Reynolds, who reportedly is now working in a sandwich shop in Texas, refused comment when reached by telephone by a reporter earlier this year.
Reynolds’ alleged abuse of Swinson occurred over several years, mostly in the basement of his home, off campus, during private religious counseling sessions, according to the account Swinson gave in a lengthy interview with a Christian podcast. Swinson said that, at Reynolds’ invitation, she also sometimes slept over in the Reynolds’ basement, behind what she wrongly believed to be a locked door. It was on those occasions when the worst abuse occurred, she said in her original interview.
Swinson and her attorney, Marcia G. Shein, offered more than 350 emails, many of them heavily sexual in nature, from Reynolds to Swinson. Some seemed to argue that Swinson had a religious obligation to sexually submit to him. Reynolds had initially denied he was the author of those emails, but law enforcement officers were able to determine they came from the vice president’s private email account. Reynolds resigned and left the state soon after this finding.
A call to Shein’s Decatur, Georgia, office this week seeking information about any new developments in Swinson’s matters was answered by a receptionist, who said the attorney had no new comment. Swinson herself has declined to be interviewed by Now Habersham and most other journalists after her initial podcast interview.
TMU Spokeswoman Declines Most Queries; Offers U Guidance on Title IX
Brandi Wood, director of marketing and communication for Truett McConnell, initially did not respond to a phone call or emailed questions, but eventually provided one partial answer.
Among the initial questions emailed to Wood were:
- Will the Hyde report ever be released to the public?
- What did President Caner know and when did he know it?
- Has the Georgia Baptist Convention and/or Southern Baptist Convention been made aware of the investigation and its findings?
- [Interim] President John O. Yarbrough, who succeeded Caner, said he hasn’t seen the report and has no plans to read it. However, if it contains incriminating information about other faculty and staff who knew about the impropriety with Ms. Swinson or others and didn’t speak up, isn’t that important information for the acting president to know?
- Will someone in the administration be following up on others who may be implicated? When can the public expect to hear?
- Has anyone else on the faculty or staff been disciplined or had any type of corrective action taken against them in relation to the Swinson matter? If so, who and when?
- Does the university intend to release details of President Caner’s exit agreement? Did he receive severance payments? If so, how much?
TMU Reply
On Oct. 29, Wood replied by email, indicating that most of the questions were better
answered by the trustees. She wrote:
“As previously stated in the [Sept. 26] Press Conference, Dr. Yarbrough has no involvement or interest in the report concerning the investigation commissioned by the Board of Trustees. The investigation was initiated by the Board, conducted for the Board, and the findings were presented exclusively to the Board of Trustees.
The investigator delivered an oral report directly to the trustees during an executive session. Dr. Yarbrough was not present for that session, and the Board did not receive a written report.
As a reminder, and consistent with all prior statements, the university does not make decisions for the Board of Trustees. This structure is standard practice for organizations that operate under a Board of Trustees and is not unique to Truett McConnell University.
Any follow-up questions regarding this matter should be directed to the chairman for the Board of Trustees, Robby Foster…”
TMU Title IX Guidance
Wood again declined to say if any TMU faculty or staff below the level of the president’s office were implicated, but she did reply at greater length to one of Now Habersham’s questions about policy pertaining to reporting inappropriate behavior among or between university personnel or students. The question read:
“What type of reporting system is now in place for students, staff, or faculty to report improper behavior on the part of other TMU students or personnel? Is there an anonymous reporting system? How does it work? How are you making the university community aware of it?”
Wood replied:
“As far as Title IX, the TMU community may report concerns regarding inappropriate behavior to [email protected]. This email address has been available and in use since 2021. The email address is promoted in signage across campus and required training both in person and via video.
A reporter may remain anonymous, but that may impede the Title IX investigation process. A respondent is entitled to be fully informed of the allegations. Additionally, if a complainant wishes to remain anonymous, he or she may not receive supportive measures as outlined in Title IX. The Title IX coordinator may proceed as the complainant. The complainant’s information is confidential and only shared with the respondent and those involved in the Title IX process, such as investigators. All of this is outlined in the Title IX policy which was provided to you.
TMU is promoting ‘See something, say something’ through signage, video presentations, and in-person trainings. Staff and students are required to watch.
Please see the TMU Title IX policy for more details. I encourage you to read it to understand TMU’s policy and procedure.”
Title IX Definition
Title IX, part of federal education law since 1972, is a measure taken against sex discrimination in education. As described by the federal Department of Education: “Title IX… prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX states ‘No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance[.]’”
Title IX has generally been interpreted to prohibit sexual harassment and abuse, in addition to disallowing discrimination on the basis of sex.
At the September press conference, Yarbrough said the university had additional restrictions in place beyond Title IX; for example, the university does not allow faculty or staff to meet with opposite-sex students behind closed doors.
Georgia Baptist Mission Board: No Reply
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board, whose website says it has been “serving Georgia Baptists since 1822,” is described as a resource to ministers, churches and ministries in the state. Now Habersham reached out with a string of questions for the GBMB to its executive director, Thomas Hammond, after Public Affairs Representative Mike Griffin deferred to Hammond.
Now Habersham wrote:
“As you may have seen, Now Habersham has been covering the events at Truett McConnell University, and had some questions related to it for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Kindly let me know even if you can’t or won’t respond in detail to this inquiry; our readers will want to know that we attempted to secure your responses, but we want to make sure we give you every opportunity to respond.
- Has the Mission Board received the independent report (the ‘Hyde Report’) about the events at TMU, which led to President Caner’s dismissal? Does the board have any comment on it? Would you be willing to disclose its contents, which have remained private?
- Will the Mission Board take any further disciplinary action regarding TMU or its personnel, or is the matter considered closed?
- Does the Mission Board plan to issue any new rules or methods of enforcement to safeguard against sexual or other impropriety between adults and children or consenting adults where one party has disproportionate power (minister/congregant; professor/student)? What are these new rules or methods of enforcement?
- Is the Mission Board aware of any other accusations of sexual or other impropriety at TMU or any of the other Baptist-affiliated colleges or universities? What are these accusations? If any, are they being handled privately, or will you disclose them to the public?”
Hammond did not answer the initial email or a follow-up sent Oct. 31 and Nov. 10.
There appear to be five other Baptist-affiliated colleges, universities and seminaries in the state — Mercer University in Macon; Gwinnett Hall Baptist College in Lawrenceville; Brewton-Parker Christian University in Mount Vernon; Shorter University in Rome; and Luther Rice College and Seminary in Lithonia. An internet search did not reveal any accusations of improprieties at any of these institutions.
In his last email, Griffin, now listed as a consultant to the GBMB, wrote: “Thomas [Hammond] can recommend someone to best do the interview.
God bless you,”
