3 Tenn. Vols Accused in Sexual Attack : Football: Coach Johnny Majors suspends the players after a student alleges they assaulted her in the athletic dormitory.

Three players on the No. 5 Tennessee football team were suspended indefinitely today after allegations they sexually assaulted a female student in the athletic dormitory.

Coach Johnny Majors identified the three players as starting defensive end Kacy Rodgers, reserve linebacker Dewayne Dotson and reserve running back Keith Jeter.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Phil Scheurer said the complaint was filed this morning alleging that the sexual assault took place sometime between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. today.

“In order to ensure due process and protect the rights of both the complainant and the accused, details of the incident are not being released,” Scheurer said.

“There is, however, considerable disagreement among the students about what actually occurred,” he added.

Scheurer said no criminal charges have been lodged. He said the woman has made a statement to campus police, as have the three players.

Majors said he was embarrassed but was not suspending the players based on any judgment of their guilt or innocence.

They were suspended, he said, because of the seriousness of the allegations and “because there was a clear violation of team rules.”

The rule violated involves visitation hours by females in the dormitory. Visitation is allowed but not on Thursday nights.

University President Lamar Alexander said the university “deeply regrets this.”

“We want the students and the state to know we take this very seriously,” he said. “The second point, and this is very important, is that the students disagree considerably about what happened.”

Tennessee plays No. 9 Florida on Saturday.

This is the latest in a string of off-field incidents involving Volunteer football players this fall.

Two weeks ago, four players--starting cornerbacks Jeremy Lincoln and Floyd Miley and second-stringers defensive end Chris Mims and offensive guard Bernard Dafney--allegedly confronted a fellow student who was in an argument with Lincoln’s girlfriend. Mims allegedly broke the student’s jaw, but no charges were filed.