updated 2:15 p.m. ET April 5, 2004

Colorado placed assistant defensive coach Vance Joseph on leave amid a recruiting scandal that includes rape allegations and other misconduct by football players.

Joseph was put on administrative leave last week, the school said Monday. It called the suspension a “personnel matter” and refused to say why he was suspended.

University spokeswoman Pauline Hale said only that the school “will take appropriate action upon completion of the investigation.”

Coach Gary Barnett was placed on leave in February, pending the outcome of investigations into whether the football program used sex and alcohol to entice top recruits.

Three women have filed lawsuits against the university, claiming they were raped during or right after a 2001 off-campus party for football recruits. A total of eight women have said they were raped by Colorado football players or recruits since 1997.

Joseph, 31, has been a full-time assistant for two years. He was a quarterback at Colorado from 1990-94 but was a defensive back in the NFL for two seasons. His younger brother, Sammy, is a sophomore cornerback for the Buffaloes.

Former Buffs quarterback Darian Hagan will coach the cornerbacks while Joseph is gone.

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