A tale of rape and woe
Joelle Halon
Issue date: 5/10/10 Section: Sports
Ben Roethlisberger, the rape allegation spotlight no longer shines upon you, as it now belongs to Hall-of-Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor, 51, was accused of raping a 16-year-old prostitute in his hotel room on May 6. According to allegations, Taylor paid $300 to have sex with the girl.
There are reports stating the girl is a runaway who has been missing since March. Of course, conflicting media reports state she was prostituting against her will via suspected pimp, Rasheed Davis.
Recently, rashes of "This-sports-star-raped-me" stories drift about: Two Roethlisberger cases, Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, and now Taylor. In the most recent Roethlisberger case, conflicting stories by the defendant and witness statements cleared him of wrong-doing; the 2009 Andrea McNulty case is still pending. Irvin's case, an alleged incident in 2007, is also pending.
With the first Roethlisberger case and Irvin's case, several red flags wave considering how long the defendants waited to report the incidents. FBI statistics estimate 37 percent of U.S rapes are reported yearly, so maybe the accusers fell into the "silent victim" category, but to wait long enough to where any evidence has faded into the sunset seems a bit awry.
In the Taylor case, the victim should receive credit for reporting her suspected rape immediately; however, before calling authorities, she called her uncle. A red flag flies because if she was raped, why did she not call the authorities first, a question defense attorneys may ask during the June 10 hearing.
If the 16-year-old prostitute and runaway has been missing since March and held "against her will," why, now, did she choose to call her uncle in order to report a rape instead of letting her family know where she was after she left?
Unless Davis told the victim whom she was pimped out to, how would a 16-year-old girl know who Taylor-a pro-football player from 1981 to 1993 - is unless she has vast knowledge of football players or has seen Taylor on "Dancing with the Stars" recently?
Furthermore, reports state her injuries are consistent with her pimp beating her before the alleged rape, but the results of her rape kit have not been released, so perhaps there is evidence against Taylor.
Of course, the oft-troubled Taylor is not at fault and the shadows of shame and doubt will shine upon him. On top of his drug and tax-evasion convictions, this case may lock Taylor in jail-up to five years for third-degree rape.
Not only has the case hurt Taylor's legend, but it has hurt his family. How very sad that sexual gratification came before his family. But, Taylor is innocent until proven guilty.
Either way the case flows, Taylor should have known better.
Taylor, 51, was accused of raping a 16-year-old prostitute in his hotel room on May 6. According to allegations, Taylor paid $300 to have sex with the girl.
There are reports stating the girl is a runaway who has been missing since March. Of course, conflicting media reports state she was prostituting against her will via suspected pimp, Rasheed Davis.
Recently, rashes of "This-sports-star-raped-me" stories drift about: Two Roethlisberger cases, Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, and now Taylor. In the most recent Roethlisberger case, conflicting stories by the defendant and witness statements cleared him of wrong-doing; the 2009 Andrea McNulty case is still pending. Irvin's case, an alleged incident in 2007, is also pending.
With the first Roethlisberger case and Irvin's case, several red flags wave considering how long the defendants waited to report the incidents. FBI statistics estimate 37 percent of U.S rapes are reported yearly, so maybe the accusers fell into the "silent victim" category, but to wait long enough to where any evidence has faded into the sunset seems a bit awry.
In the Taylor case, the victim should receive credit for reporting her suspected rape immediately; however, before calling authorities, she called her uncle. A red flag flies because if she was raped, why did she not call the authorities first, a question defense attorneys may ask during the June 10 hearing.
If the 16-year-old prostitute and runaway has been missing since March and held "against her will," why, now, did she choose to call her uncle in order to report a rape instead of letting her family know where she was after she left?
Unless Davis told the victim whom she was pimped out to, how would a 16-year-old girl know who Taylor-a pro-football player from 1981 to 1993 - is unless she has vast knowledge of football players or has seen Taylor on "Dancing with the Stars" recently?
Furthermore, reports state her injuries are consistent with her pimp beating her before the alleged rape, but the results of her rape kit have not been released, so perhaps there is evidence against Taylor.
Of course, the oft-troubled Taylor is not at fault and the shadows of shame and doubt will shine upon him. On top of his drug and tax-evasion convictions, this case may lock Taylor in jail-up to five years for third-degree rape.
Not only has the case hurt Taylor's legend, but it has hurt his family. How very sad that sexual gratification came before his family. But, Taylor is innocent until proven guilty.
Either way the case flows, Taylor should have known better.
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