DENVER -- The only female player ever on the University of Colorado football team said that she was sexually molested while at CU and eventually raped by a team member, Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday in its online edition. CU announced it was investigating the charge.

Katie Hnida (pictured, left) made the admissions during an interview with Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, who published part of the interview in his online column.

Hnida was an honor-roll student, homecoming queen and nationally-recognized place kicker when she went from Chatfield High School in Littleton, Colo., to play for CU in 1999.

She told Reilly that on her first day of practice, five teammates surrounded her, verbally abused her and made sexual comments. Later, she said, players exposed themselves to her and one even rubbed his penis on her.

During huddles, she told Reilly, some players stuck their hands on her crotch and groped her breasts under her shoulder pads.

"She endured more abuse than one person should have to bear," former teammate Justin Bates told Sports Illustrated. During practice, players called her vulgar names and one threw footballs at her head.

She said she didn't tell coach Gary Barnett because she was afraid he'd kick her off the team.

Hnida told Reilly that she was watching television at a teammate's house when he started to kiss her and she told him that it wasn't OK. She said the teammate, who wasn't identified, climbed on top of her, lifted her skirt, pulled down her underwear and raped her.

"I tried to push him off me, but he outweighed me by 100 pounds," Hnida told Sports Illustrated.

She said she didn't report it to the police because she was scared of what would happen and she was already carrying around emotional baggage from her earlier treatment.

She finally told her father, a Denver doctor who appears on Channel 4, about the abuse -- but not the rape.

Dr. Dave Hnida said he went to athletic director Dick Tharp and coach Barnett about "the cornering, the groping, the name-calling and the football-at-the-head thing." He said talking to Barnett about the abuse was "like talking to a wall."

Reilly said that Tharp and Barnett don't recall Hnida mentioning anything about sexual harassment while she was there.

Barnett (pictured, left) issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that said in part, "In January of 2000, Katie’s father Dr. Hnida expressed in a phone call how well Katie had been treated and how pleased they were with everything in our program.

"I had two face-to-face conversations with Dr. Hnida and one concerned a complaint about a player verbally abusing her and I acted immediately by verbally disciplining the young man," Barnett's written statement continued. "The second conversation was about how he felt I had not treated Katie fairly when we did not take her back on the team in the Fall of 2000. She could not be one of our top five kickers by her own admission. Dr. Hnida wanted me to reconsider."

Barnett is quoted as telling Reilly, "Not one time did I ever see or hear about anybody treating her wrong. I don't believe she was sexually harassed. I don't believe our players would do that. They'd be in too much trouble with me."

Barnett said that Hnida's interview with Reilly confirms he wasn't aware of her allegations and took questions from reporters at an impromptu news conference late Tuesday afternoon.

"It would help to know names, situations," Barnett said. "We could certainly delve into it a lot more deeply and a lot more seriously. Not that we're not doing it seriously now. But we just don't know where to go with it. But we will as soon as somebody tells us."

Hnida said she dropped out of CU after her sophomore year and went into therapy, then enrolled in a junior college in California before moving to the University of New Mexico in 2002.

Hnida said she decided to tell her story now because of the recent allegations of sexual assault against CU and that the recent news reports sent her back into a nightmare.

"Making this information public was not an easy decision. It has been extremely difficult for me, my family and those closest to me, but it has also helped me. I did this because I hope no one else will have to deal with the horrors I've endured over the past few years," she said in a statement released Tuesday.

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CU Officials React To Latest Allegations

"I felt that my information is pertinent to the investigation being conducted. I have been in contact with Boulder law enforcement authorities, but I do not expect to file any charges at this time," Hnida's statement continued.

CU president Betsy Hoffman and CU-Boulder chancellor Richard Byyny (pictured, right) released a joint statement Tuesday, urging Hnida to contact law enforcement authorities about her sexual assault accusation and said it warrants criminal investigation.

Their statement said in part:

"Continuing allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and alcohol abuse leveled against the athletics department cause us grave concern. These allegations are hurting the entire university. It is important for us to get a very clear picture of what is going on in the football program and the athletics department.

"We are vigorously investigating all of these allegations. We are determined to learn everything we can about these serious issues."

They held a Monday afternoon news conference to discuss the latest allegation.

Byyny announced during the briefing that a special assistant to Hoffman will be appointed to work as a liason between her office and the athletics department.

Boulder District Attorney Mary Keenan told 7NEWS Monday that she had spoken to Hnida about the rape allegations earlier, but couldn't saying anything because of confidentiality.

Keenan said there is a 10-year statute of limitations for rape, so Hnida has until 2009 to decide whether to go forward with a criminal complaint.

CU Regent Jim Martin told 7NEWS Tuesday, "We’ve got to learn how big (the problem) is, how wide it is, who’s responsible, and what steps are needed to address it."