Sounds like our National Champions have been busy off the field during their championship run.
Two recent stories have surfaced to support a theory that the Florida State Seminoles are getting quite a reputation for running roughshod over everything in their path, and any woman at least some of the Seminoles want, they TAKE...
Worse yet, if these two stories are any indication, the Seminole football team has had this history for, pushing, a quarter-century now.
First, in what seems to be the worst-kept secret in college football, a report last week indicates that Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston's investigation that he raped a woman in December of 2012.
USA Today reports that two teammates were investigated for violations of student conduct rules in January of 2014.
The victim in the case has retained a powerful Title IX lawyer, and, because of Winston's belligerence on the matter, the lawyer wants Winston charged and possibly expelled from Florida State.
But USA Today also reported two weeks ago that the Federal government is now involved. I think it not without evidence that an epidemic of sexual assaults by the football team is at least being asserted.
Deadspin, in the second recent story, gave an indication to this end when they published a very alarming statement by a Florida State woman.
Ashley Witherspoon was raped and shot with intention of murder in December of 1993 by Michael Gibson, a running-back for the Seminoles. Miraculously, the perpetrator was caught, convicted, and is now serving five life sentences in a Florida State Prison. A sixth life sentence was overturned on the basis that there was no crime on the Florida statutes for which he was charged, even though Bobby Bowden actually wrote letters supporting the son of a bitch.
Florida State has been referred to the Department of Education and it's Office of Civil Rights, calling under fire their handling of sexual assaults (and it would be small wonder that the implication here is that it's sexual assaults by the football team).
Witherspoon, in the article, makes other claims which would corroborate various practices alleged at a number of schools toward prospective star players:
"When I was at Florida State there were these "Bat Girls"—maybe they're
still there—and they were used for recruiting purposes for the baseball
team. Why do high school seniors and college freshmen need beautiful
girls to show them around and take them out? What's really going on?
What are we teaching them? What are we offering them? I'm not making
excuses for offenders, but sex, drugs, and rock and roll is a big part
of it."
Though she still supports Florida State, she's not cool with the current direction of college sports at all:
"I almost got into a fistfight with a soccer coach friend of mine who
believes athletes should get paid. It offends me. I love sports, but
it's ridiculous that we idolize athletes. I don't care if football
raises money for other college sports. If college football is just a
mini-NFL training ground, then put them in the goddamn NFL. I just wish
athletics in college were clean and pure. But they're not. We're not
stupid. You can't tell me these programs aren't crooked as hell. I hope there's an overhaul. If Florida State covered something up, shut them down."
Deadspin, last year, gave other indications as to how far the Florida State football program was running roughshod over everything in it's path, including actions toward instructors and other students. The link to that article is included in the quote above.
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Let's get a couple of very uncomfortable facts straight here:
Anyone who wants to come out and say that "Rape is unacceptable in this country." needs to answer the question as to how athletes across this nation are basically given free reign to rape, pillage, and plunder, as long as they give the only value anyone in their school seems to have (especially in high school, but still exists very well at the college level): Athletic victory to be converted to school and community fame, and, often, money in the form of advertising and contributions.
Anyone who wants to come out and still support the sport of football in this day and age (on top of dealing with all the headhunting and brain injuries and player safety issues) also has to answer the question of how the game is not a microcosm and a representation of rape unto itself. Players attempt to power each other over, with the only apparent place for women in the equation (in most cases, not all) is to psuedo-exotic-dance on the sidelines and at halftime, exhibiting to the community that, if they were or had been "real men", this is what they were entitled to.
Anyone who wants to come out and defend a lot of this as "Boys will be boys and they will grow out of it." has to stand basically in support of rape and a culture which appears to state that school spirit and sexual arousal are, in many cases, equivalent concepts.
... but only for the "real men" who are the only reason the school realistically exists.
I made no secret then, I make less now: ESPN, Florida State University, and Jameis Winston acted in concert to cover this up because Winston and FSU were the chosen team to be the champions last year. And ESPN had to market Winston (especially as Johnny Manziel's reputation and stock took serious hits with off-field monetary allegations of his own) as this "Aw shucks." next Michael Vick/Cam Newton/etc. type.
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