OTL ESPN report on Mizzou swimmer suicide

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/10323102/missouri-officials-did-not-pursue-rape-case-alleged-swimmer-ended-committing-suicide

I have read the story and watched the report, and I have questions. Perhaps I am missing something.I think the school was in a tough spot here. But what exactly is the state law governing health professionals whose patients report sexual assault? Are they obligated to report to the cops? Must they obtain consent? I don't think the story or the tv report make this clear. And isn't that important here?

 

One big question that jumps out to me - Her parents appear to be Caucasian and she appears
to be African-Canadian.

 

Yeah, from what I've read of this, ESPN seems to be doing its darndest to make Missouri look awful, except... I don't think Missouri did anything wrong. They appear pretty well hamstrung in what they can do because of privacy laws. And even in the best-case scenario, all the school could have done would have been to kick the football player who raped her out of school - they're not the judicial system, they can't prosecute.

I feel like ESPN is doing all it can to make it sound like Missouri turned its back on this girl, and that's why she committed suicide, but my reading of the events is very far from that conclusion.

 

Where Missouri misstepped was in saying it asked the woman's parents if they wanted the school to investigate, then didn't do anything because the parents didn't say anything. That isn't how criminal prosecution works.

But by the time the info reached the administration, it was not possible to pursue the case. She was dead, and there had been no investigation and no witnesses. It was a complete non-starter in the courts.

School says it's going to have an investigation. There is a chance (and I hope they pursue it) that the football staff knew something went on and tried to cover it up. That's the only way I can see any of this leading to anything.

However, as an alum, I do think the frequency of these incidents gives me pause. Price of striving to be a big-time program, I suppose?

 

I was sympathetic to the school after reading their initial response the other day, detailing how there was nothing they could have done differently because of privacy issues. Seemed plausible.

Then I saw today they turned everything they have over to the prosecutor's office for review.

I don't know what changed between Friday and today, but either they are violating the privacy concerns they were initially hiding behind, or those privacy issues were BS to begin with.

In any case, yet another black eye for an athletic department that has had way more than their share of them over the last decade.

 

Mike Menu is her adoptive father. Her biological father is Haitian.