Dear Athletic Programs, Non-Consensual Sex Is Rape
I felt like I just had to come out with that headline.
I was reading a report of a Lubbock athlete who was accused twice of "non-consensual intercourse" and "possible Title IX violations," and I'm just stunned. How is it an athlete gets the benefit of this flowery lawyer-influenced language? It is offensive and insensitive to the victims to play these concerns off with wordplay.
The player involved was also suspended with "two counts of sexual misconduct in the form of non-consensual intercourse." You mean, he was suspended for rape.
I am not claiming the player is guilty or innocent; I am advocating for the victims who brought enough evidence to the table that the player was suspended. To the women, they were raped, not victims of "sexual misconduct." as the documents state.
Let's clear up this lawyer-speak, and then let's talk about how someone suspended for two rapes gets to be the starting quarterback for a season, essentially rubbing it in the faces of his victims.