Truett McConnell University President Emir Caner has been placed on administrative leave while trustees wait on a third-party investigation into alleged mishandling of sexual abuse complaints at the Georgia Baptist school.
University trustees met Friday morning, June 6, as fallout worsened over multiple accusations of disregarding, covering up or misrepresenting student claims of sexual abuse — including rape — by female students.
The outside investigation will be done by Richard Hyde of Phoenix Research LLC. No additional information is available about Hyde or Phoenix Research.
John Yarbrough
University alumnus and retired Georgia pastor John Yarbrough was named acting president. Yarbrough serves as director of public policy at the university.
Trustees began their meeting at 10 a.m. and released their decision on the university’s Facebook page at 2:30 p.m. The statement said Chairman Robby Foster brought three proposals and “after a healthy discussion” were adopted unanimously.
The decisions closely followed public outcry demanding action by trustees, who had been aware of the sexual abuse scandal between a vice president and a former student and later employee since Jan. 20 — nearly five months ago.
On Jan. 20, the Atlanta-area law firm of Shein, Brandenburg and Schrope sent trustees a 57-page dossier documenting the charges by former coed Hayle Swinson against former Vice President Bradley Reynolds.
The document — supported by 350 emails from Reynolds to Swinson — chronicled protracted grooming of the women’s soccer team member from 2009 until 2018. The law firm says the relationship resulted in sexual abuse including rape and spiritual manipulation through private Bible studies in Reynolds’ home basement while his family was upstairs.
Emir Caner
Reynolds also told Swinson God had showed him in a dream that his wife was going to die and Swinson was chosen to be his wife and help him raise his children. The documentation includes graphic details of Reynolds’ sexual fantasies.
With no action from trustees, Swinson went public with the charges May 29 on a podcast hosted by The Roys Report. The hour long podcast has since been downloaded more than 16,000 times.
The university has maintained it addressed the issue in spring 2024 when Reynolds notified the university he was under investigation by the White County Sheriffs’ Office. After learning of the charges by Swinson, the university did not terminate Reynolds; instead, it released him from employment.
That action in itself stirred the ire of many, who said the institution continued to cover up the charges and failed to conduct its own investigation.
Doug Lawson of Marietta, Ga., told BNG the scandal was an open secret that everyone in leadership positions was aware of but refused to investigate. Lawson served two years as vice president of the Truett Alumni Association, and Reynolds’ reputation with female students — especially the entire woman’s soccer team whom he befriended — was well known, he said.
During his two years of voluntary service, including 2021 and 2022, Lawson said members of the association would refuse to acknowledge the rumors and “would sweep it under the rug because there was not enough evidence.” However, he maintains, there was not enough evidence because there was no investigation to put the rumors to rest.
“Dr. Caner knew what was going on. … I can’t say it definitively but with it being an open secret like it was, how could he not have known? I believe he was covering for others in order to protect himself,” he added.
Three days ago, as word of the called trustees meeting surfaced, residents of the North Georgia led by alumni planned a prayer and worship event at Mount Yonah Campground Clubhouse held June 5. This morning, about 30 alumni and members of the community joined for a “Stand-In for Accountability” protest march to peacefully demonstrate outside O’Dell Hall where the trustees were meeting. That event was coordinated by Heather Pillsbury, who graduated from Truett McConnell in 2000.
“We think an unbiased third-party investigation is the most important thing, … just to uncover any possible wrongdoings and that those things will be brought to light, and the people accountable would be held to a standard that the church and Christ would have them to be,” she said.
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