Jameis Winston Sexual Assault Investigation Not Going Away, Focus Shifting to How It Was Handled
ByAttorneys representing Jameis Winston's sexual assault accuser knew it was coming, so Florida State University (FSU) and their star quarterback must have known too.
The New York Times on Friday released a second investigative piece relating to the sexual assault Winston stands accused of from Dec. 2012. The newspaper focused this time on how FSU football players have always "escaped serious consequences" for anything ranging from mischief to acts of violence.
The report opens with an anecdote detailing 911 call in which the person calling the police described a "really bad" instance of domestic violence. The caller said a man was hitting a woman and grabbing at her baby's arm.
After speaking with police, the 19-year-old female said the man was her boyfriend, but they were just arguing and it did not turn physical. In any domestic disputes, the Times noted, police are obligated by law to conduct a complete investigation.
In this case, they did not. The Times reported obtaining documents that showed a brief police report that did warrant the attention of the police sergeant because the man played football for FSU. The case was then reportedly classified as "unfounded."
As with a previous New York Times investigative piece, FSU responded with an open letter to the school community. The statement categorized the past 10 months of media coverage as "misinformation" and also provided a timeline of the events, as the school saw them.
"The University takes sexual assault very seriously. The University is also cooperating fully with the U.S. Dept. of Education investigation into this matter," read the statement. "Indeed, it was the University that informed the DOE nearly six months ago about the Athletics Department knowledge of the case.
"We did not want you to confuse our silence with idleness, a lack of caring or, as some have alleged, an institutional conspiracy to protect a star athlete. We hope what we've shared with you establishes otherwise."