Awww, The Poor Football Players

Let's all cry some big crocodile tears for those poor players who just saw their futures taken from them for raping a sixteen-year-old in Steubenville. Boo. hoo.

Emphasis on BOOOOOOOOOO!

Is there really a single human, emphasis human, on the planet who feels something was done to these athletes? How about "not enough"? One or two years, served as juveniles, and the record is clear. The boys were shocked by the verdicts? Surely they had no delusions of innocence? Just invulnerability?

Here's what I would have liked to see.

First, this girl was so out of it that the kids were joking about her being dead. How about depraved indifference, not just for participants but bystanders? If she was truly drunk to that amount (questionable, as she was so completely unconscious and didn't wake vomiting) then she was in danger of actually dying from alcohol poisoning. Nobody stood watch for her nor called for EMTs. It seems more likely she was drugged, so throw in charges for that.  If alcohol, who supplied it? All these kids were under age. Another crime. Is sixteen the age of consent? If not, throw in statutory rape.

This girl was carried unconscious from party to party, placed in a car and moved without consent. Throw in several counts of kidnapping for all participants. Some of the guys urinated on her. I'm not sure how that despicable act should be charged, but something should be added. Then there were the people filming these events, then posting the video on line. Again, proof per se of depraved indifference, but lets throw in bullying charges as well.

Finally, this town tried as hard as they could to protect their sacred football team from the consequences of their actions, so I propose they be rewarded for their priorities by having their town football program cancelled for, oh, say the next five years. No football program whatsoever. None. Nada. Maybe institute fall programs of city-wide community service, mandatory for everybody. After all, it wasn't just the immediate participants but the culture which supported this crime. If football is so important, this might give everybody an incentive to prevent future crimes like this, not laugh at them, turn a blind eye, and cover them up.