The Rush to Conclusions

I realized this past weekend that I neglected a huge sports story during my short sabbatical from Dibbles and Bits.  Namely, I said nothing about Jonathan Martin and the Miami Dolphins Bullying saga.  I kept waiting for more information, and eventually kept waiting for anything remotely interesting to emerge.  For me, it was a boring story that got overblown.

But, in trying to be a little more proactive, I think it time to confront what will certainly be a huge story in the coming two weeks.  That is the unfolding ordeal surrounding Jameis Winston in Tallahassee.

Winston is leading the Heisman race and, thanks to some really terrible performances by Manziel, Petty, and Mariota this past weekend, will likely take home the bacon in December.  But, that storyline will soon collide with the image of Winston as a potential assailant, a man who forced himself upon a young woman a year ago.

Details are still Broncos-defense sketchy, but the known facts are the following:  the accuser filed a police report in December of last year against Winston for rape, the complaint lay dormant for much of the intervening time, and the circus started once media outlets made public records requests for documents related to the complaint.  Winston submitted DNA last week and the results leaked to the press showed that he engaged in contact with his accuser.  I realize that’s very little, but those are the extent of “known” facts.  Right now, there really isn’t anything else we can truly hammer down.

I am not in the business of deciding guilt…the system thankfully believes in innocent until proven guilty, and legal officials conduct themselves as such.  But, in today’s world, and particularly in the media-hungry market of college football, public perception matters.  The ESPN, Fox Sports, SI, and Bleacher Report journalists follow these stories like hawks, and universities have their revenue numbers to think about when it comes to any possible brouhaha surrounding the football program, so winning the PR battle matters.  And, to that end, it’s a one-sided affair.

There is very little chance that a college female, even with legal help, has against a star college quarterback in these matters, especially when that quarterback can point to over 90,000 people who, I bet, are in his corner.  What’s unfortunate about this is that FSU currently sits in the title game hunt, and any charges against Winston will, by team rules, automatically suspend him from play.  Some Ohio State fans might silently rejoice, but for the rest of us, it would be a tough way for a promising season to end for one of college football’s traditional powers.  (For my money, it also guarantees the most unlikable man in the world a third straight national championship).

And yet, if Winston actually did rape someone, he deserves the scrutiny and punishment tenfold.  To figure out the nuances of that question, however, requires a deep eye and the willingness to listen to both sides.

What it decidedly does not require, need, or even tolerate is the vitriol that has been displayed towards the accuser by many Florida State fans.  None of these people were there when this rape occurred, so I find the comments by many Florida State fans that the accuser is either a “gold-digger,” a “slut”, or a “whore”, supremely misguided.  (On that note, posters like the one found here need to be retired at once).

The parallels to the Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger cases are understandable…they are recent cases that bear some similarities.  What’s less understandable is the culture of denial whenever a high profile athlete is accused by a woman that no one has ever heard of.  No matter what, the woman is looking for attention, trying desperately to squeeze some cash out of the whole thing right?  Maybe a nice settlement suit right?  Perhaps looking to affect the awards race?  Wrong.

Those two guys might not have been found guilty or indicted, but we should remember Mike Tyson’s rape conviction in 1992, just when the world slowly began to realize the importance of his daily medication dosage.  He sat on top of the world.  This also has occurred at Florida State before, including this very season.  Above all else, we should not immediately dismiss these accusations.  The sad reality: many people are raped on college campuses.  One in four to five women are raped on college campuses, according to almost every study you can dig up.  (A nice gathering of stats seen here).

And yet, when sports figures are involved, the accuser clearly wants attention.  I am not buying that argument here…the accuser submitted the report back when EJ Manuel was still quarterbacking this team, and she has not been parading her case to the media since season’s open.  The image of an attention grabber would, you would think, likely tell many people about her case as Winston’s popularity rose.  Intellectual honesty says she certainly could have leaked the story to the press initially.  Even so, despite the fact that journalists really started this whole mess and won’t release their sources, this “gold-digger” seems to be receiving a large brunt of the attention.

I am similarly not impressed by the argument that Jameis just “can’t be that kind of guy.”  Some base that impression on his media personality and general demeanor.  I will be the first to admit, I was shocked when this all emerged.  He has a masterful way with people, perfectly blending humility and confidence in a way that Manziel only dreams of.  But, if memory serves, many referred to Jerry Sandusky as a lovable grandfather figure.

Please do not read this and assume I am coming out in support of the accuser here.  While I admit I am more inclined to believe accusers than alleged perpetrators, the accuser’s story has a very serious hole.  The interim police chief told the Tallahassee Democrat that the accuser stopped cooperating with police, at which point the case went inactive.  It seems that someone who has a true story would continue pushing that story to the very end.  There are reports that Tallahassee police informally advised her against pushing such a claim in “a football town,” in which case the accuser may have felt her complaints might not be taken seriously by law enforcement. If the police did give such a warning, I can’t say I blame her for feeling that way, but that she made no other movements afterwards certainly raises some eyebrows. 

There is plenty more to figure out in this case, and too many questions remain unanswered for a conclusive finish.  In writing this post I merely want to raise a finger against the prevailing wind to say that rape accusations against anyone are serious business and I find it hard to fathom someone undertaking the resultant media circus willingly unless they firmly believed an actual rape took place.  That subjectivity obviously doesn’t mean much, and the motivations of us humans are hard to decipher, but we should all cease from jumping to conclusions.