Athlete/Rapists: the difference between Steubenville and Vanderbilt

You may recall that last year, on August 11th 2012, a young high school girl from a neighboring community was drunk and drugged to the point where she was passed out in a room full of high school football players. 

Two of the players, Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays, were arrested and subsequently convicted in juvenile court for the rape of that young girl. News of the rape came from social media, where a party-goes posted a picture of the situation. For more information: Steubenville Rape.

Now, at Vanderbilt University, a similar situation is unfolding. Four Vanderbilt football players have been indicted and arrested in the rape of an unconscious college student. For more information: Vanderbilt Rape.

While it's easy to pillory the players for being the dreaded "Athlete/Rapist," what strikes me most about these two stories are the differences in how the rapes were handled by the respective communities.

In Steubenville, the community closed ranks and blamed the victim. People in the police department, the school athletic department, etc. did their best to protect the two boys, while pointing out that the girl shouldn't have been drinking with people she didn't know very well. After a great deal of slow investigation, including investigatory reporting by reporters who were not able to name or photograph interviewees, the truth of the rape eventually emerged and the young men were brought to trial. 

At Vanderbilt, the four accused have been kicked off the football team and barred from campus pending the investigation.

What a difference. 

Sportmanship is about respect. Respect is not standing behind people you know or suspect are rapists. There shouldn't be a thin red, green, yellow, black, or blue line on sports teams that bond teammates together in opposition to criminal investigations. Respect is not tolerating Athlete/Rapists to exist in your ranks -- it shows respect for your organization and, even more importantly, respect for the victim.

If you had to guess, how would your community react to a rape by your student athletes?