'A Star Player Accused'

[Dick Whitman]

The NYT investigates the Jameis Winston investigation.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/16/sports/errors-in-inquiry-on-rape-allegations-against-fsu-jamies-winston.html?hp&_r=0

Among the revelations:

1) A second woman sought counseling after an uncomfortable sexual encounter with Winston

2) The alleged rape was videotaped, but the police failed to collect the tape.

 

[YankeeFan]

We don’t need an investigation, thorough or otherwise, to know that Jameis did not sexually assault this young lady.” Mr. Cornwell, who has represented major sports figures and the N.F.L., added, “Jameis has never sexually assaulted anybody.”

 

[Dick Whitman]

He's referring to the NYT investigation. Plus, that's Winston's lawyer. Who cares what he says?

 

[YankeeFan]

I get that, though there is a certain arrogance, and defiance in the statement.

But, the attitude seems to permeate the police force and the school.

What's as disturbing about this article as anything else is that the police didn't seem to care even before a suspect was identified. They weren't just willing to ignore this girl because alleged assailant was a star football player. They were willing to ignore her regardless of who assaulted her.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I get that, though there is a certain arrogance, and defiance in the statement.

Dude, it's his lawyer. It is his paid advocate. What in the world else would you like him to say? Let's re-open this thing?

 

[Dick Whitman]

I get that, though there is a certain arrogance, and defiance in the statement.

But, the attitude seems to permeate the police force and the school.

What's as disturbing about this article as anything else is that the police didn't seem to care even before a suspect was identified. They weren't just willing to ignore this girl because alleged assailant was a star football player. They were willing to ignore her regardless of who assaulted her.

And it's not just her. The story told the tale of the second woman who was assaulted on campus, then essentially treated like the accused. Of course, we're getting one side of the story here, but my faith in police to conduct thorough, professional crime investigations, well before I read this piece, is not exactly high.

 

[Alma]

Just makes me shudder, the incompetence on display.

This level of ****baggery and sloth, I suspect, is isolated. But the shaming of rape victims in initial interrogations...I don't think that is isolated.

 

[JayFarrar]

As noted elsewhere, after reading the piece, it sounds more and more like ****ty police work by a detective who worked private security for Florida State boosters.

In a college town, of course, the conflict of interests are immense and almost unavoidable but it looks especially bad in this case.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Just makes me shudder, the incompetence on display.

This level of ****baggery and sloth, I suspect, is isolated. But the shaming of rape victims in initial interrogations...I don't think that is isolated.

The nature of police work, and who it draws to the profession, would be really fascinating to delve into. I suspect it draws a good proportion of smart, competent, idealistic young men. And, also, a good proportion of utter neanderthals.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I can't help but be reminded of the Notre Dame Lizzy Seeburg rape case. At least this one didn't end inthat level of tragedy.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

The videotaping also reminds me of the time about 20 years or so ago when one FSU player hooked up one night and put a tape recorder under the bed to audiotape the encounter. He said he did it to play for his friends later, but also pointed out that it helped protect him from false rape accusations.

He got in trouble, though, and was hit with a fine, or something like that.

 

[JayFarrar]

I vaguely remember a story that Winston had recorded the entire encounter and did that on a regular basis to protect himself from rape accusations.

 

[Webster]

The videotaping also reminds me of the time about 20 years or so ago when one FSU player hooked up one night and put a tape recorder under the bed to audiotape the encounter. He said he did it to play for his friends later, but also pointed out that it helped protect him from false rape accusations.

He got in trouble, though, and was hit with a fine, or something like that.

That was Scott Bentley, the kicker. I remember because Florida is one of the rare states in which both parties must consent to the taping of a conversation and it was a criminal event.

"Date rape" is extremely hard to prove. But if the police don't try, it is even tougher.

 

[LongTimeListener]

The part about Angulo working for the FSU booster club is the least surprising development of the year.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a movement afoot for more transparency in policing. It's a thin line, obviously, due to the fact that the open nature of an investigation requires that some things are withheld. But both the NYT and the Chicago Tribune have had stories in the last two weeks about how convicted inmates have been exonerated due to information contained in hidden files that were never shared with the prosecution. The Winston affair shows it goes both ways - not that he's guilty, but even if he were, the botched investigation was never going to lead to a conviction.

In the '80s, Wall Street became more transparent. In the 2010s, perhaps this, detective work, will come under the microscope.

 

[Stoney]

Just makes me shudder, the incompetence on display.

"Incompetence" presumes the police actually intended to do their job properly. Which, in this case, I'd call a leap.

Now if the true motive was to prevent charges and save a title-contending season through sandbaggery, evasion and delay tactics ...well, they did a pretty damn good job.

 

[Pancamo]

Just makes me shudder, the incompetence on display.

"Incompetence" presumes the police actually intended to do their job properly. Which, in this case, I'd call a leap.

Now if the true motive was to prevent charges and save a title-contending season through sandbaggery, evasion and delay tactics ...well, they did a pretty damn good job.

Saving the "title-contending season" is a huge leap because at the time of the incident, Winston was fourth on the depth chart and redshirting.

 

[YankeeFan]

"Incompetence" presumes the police actually intended to do their job properly. Which, in this case, I'd call a leap.

Now if the true motive was to prevent charges and save a title-contending season through sandbaggery, evasion and delay tactics ...well, they did a pretty damn good job.

They didn't know the suspect was the star quarterback of a title-contending team at first.

They still didn't care.

They may have actively avoided investigating the claim once they knew who the suspect was, but it was incompetent from the start.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I think it's more incompetence than anything more sinister, to be quite honest.

Cops think that they have superior instincts. Remember the scene in "True Detective" when the guy is false confessing, and Woody Harrelson looks at McConaughey and McConaughey just shakes his head like, "It's not him."

I think that's how cops often think: We know. We can tell.

 

[YankeeFan]

Let's not overlook laziness as a root cause, combined with sexism/misogyny.