Trigger Warning – references to sexual assault, rape apologists, and rape culture
Let me be absolutely clear – it is not what they didn’t say, it is what they DID say. They weren’t guilty of “rape essentially” – they are guilty of rape. Their lives did not fall apart – they destroyed their own lives by raping a girl. They are not being labeled sex offenders- they are sex offenders. This whole spin is absurd and irresponsible and PART OF THE PROBLEM OF RAPE CULTURE IN FOOTBALL. If these were two black (I know one is black) young men who were poor, affiliated with gangs and had minor criminal histories – they would be tried as adults and no one would wring hands over lives wasted.
NOTE – earlier editions of this blog post included a YouTube video of the CNN report in question. A colleague pointed out to me that one of the rapists used the survivors first name in his apology. I did not pick up that fact – I don’t actually know her name and the audio was a bit fuzzy. However, in the interests of protecting her privacy, I have removed the video. It is a shame that CNN did not edit that out of the audio, but perhaps that’s a further reflection of their bias. I apologize profusely to the survivor and to all survivors. I will be more attentive in the future – Sue.
