by Patrick H. Moore
The spoiled and entitled jocks appear to be at it again. This time it’s not an alleged murder(s) a la Aaron Hernandez. It’s still a crime of violence, however, a nasty little thing called gang rape. The perpetrators are four former Vanderbilt University football players. The crime occurred on June 23rd of this year and was only discovered accidentally when police saw something suspicious while reviewing hallway video footage of Gillette Hall, the dormitory where the rape occurred. Naturally, one of the participants appears to have photographed the sexual assault.
Brian Haas and Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean bring us this unsettling story:
Four former Vanderbilt University football players were charged Friday in the rape of an unconscious student in a Gillette Hall dormitory room in a case police described as “unsettling.”
Brandon Vandenburg, 20, from California; Brandon Eric Banks, 19, from Maryland; JaBorian “Tip” McKenzie, 18 from Mississippi and Cory Batey, 19, of Nashville, were charged with five counts each of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Vandenburg was also charged with one count of unlawful photography and tampering with evidence.
It appears that there may have been other witnesses and possibly other participants. According to the witness list accompanying Friday’s indictments, the police plan to subpoena the team’s starting quarterback, Austyn Carta-Samuels, along with four other athletes, Mack Prioleau, De’Andre Woods, Jake Bernstein and Dillon van der Wal.
At present, only one of the four alleged perpetrators, Cory Batey, has been arrested. The police picked him up Friday morning. Under state law, he was forced to undergo a precautionary HIV blood test and was then booked into jail with bond being set at $350,000.
According to the police, the other three alleged perpetrators are believed to be aware that they are under indictment.
“We have been in contact with law enforcement authorities out of state and made them aware of the persons being wanted,” said Don Aaron, spokesman for the Nashville Metro Police. “If they decide to surrender, that’s on them. In the interim, if law enforcement runs into them… they’ll be taken into custody.”
The attack — which occurred in the early hours of June 23rd — was on a 21-year-old woman, whom the university said was a current student. The police have stated that she was unconscious when the four men raped her. The incident was discovered two days later. Much to their credit, the university officials quickly relayed the information to university police, who got the Metro police involved the next morning.
A few days later, the four alleged perpetrators were kicked off the football team and banned from campus. The Metro police have stated that during the interim between June 23rd and the present date, DNA and other forensic evidence has been collected and analyzed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson characterized the totality of the evidence against the four as “compelling” and “unsettling.”
The victim has been cooperative, but according to one official, it has not been easy for her.
The university issued a statement on Friday after the charges were announced in which it offered condolences to the student and vowed to hold athletes accountable for their actions.
“Our first thoughts are for the victim, a Vanderbilt student, and we convey to her and her family our deepest sympathies and sorrow. We will continue to offer her all of our services and support. We are shocked and saddened by the allegations that such an assault has taken place on our campus and that they include members of our football team.”
The university further stated that it was “focused on doing everything we can to prevent any future incident like this on our campus.”
Head football coach James Franklin also addressed the issue briefly at practice Friday.
“I think you guys know how prideful I am, how much I care about this community, how much I care about this university, how much I care about this football program. I care about all of those things very deeply. So whenever something doesn’t happen that’s positive for all three of those things, it breaks my heart.”
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I don’t mean to be unduly spiteful, but if you examine Coach Franklin’s statement to his players, you will note that he doesn’t appear to mention the victim at all. Of course, the above is a partial quote and he may have expressed his condolences toward her and the nightmare she has endured. Nonetheless, although I am not typically in favor of harsh sentences and reprisals, I believe that in this case, something drastic has to be done. Had I the power, I would completely cancel the football program at Vanderbilt for at least three or four years. By the same token, the football program at Penn State should have been canceled for at least that long following disgraced former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky’s convictions for multiple counts of child molestation. And keep in mind, I am a huge football fan.
The laissez-faire sports culture that exists at our major universities simply does not hold the universities or the NCAA accountable for the unconscionable wrongdoings of the players it grooms and pampers.
I’m sure I’m hardly the first person to recommend an extreme solution to this problem. I’m also pretty certain that nothing of the sort will be done. Many times I have been present in federal court when United States District Court judges have stated to a defendant:
“Based on what you’ve done and the crimes you have committed, I have no choice other than to sentence you to a substantial term of imprisonment.”
In this instance, I would have no objection if the four perpetrators — if found guilty of the charges — received prison sentences of 20 years or longer. The university, however, should also be held accountable. A terrible crime has apparently been committed “in its house” and it, too, must pay a price.