Twice in the past few days the hypocrisy of American morality rose to the forefront when Black urban heroes made tens of millions of dollars. Just who are these idols of a generation of young men in our urban areas?
More important, do the
backgrounds of these new heroes reflect at all on the sense of lawlessness,
immorality, and breakdown of the family structure that is fueling the fires of
racial discontent?
A few days ago, the number one pick in the NFL draft is Jameis Winston, the
Heisman Trophy winner from Florida
State University
He is pictured with his NFL contract his first day as a professional, the
ink barely dry on his four-year, $25.3-million rookie contract, which he signed
90 minutes earlier. On television, he looks
and he is emotionless.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are his new team.
Yet the Bucs hired private investigators to check out Winston, who’d
been accused of, but not charged with, sexual assault. Twice he was exonerated
by prosecutors, and once by the university after a probe by a Florida
This was a great test of the innocent-till-proven-guilty mantra in the
American justice system, and the authorities could not prosecute Winston. So Winston passed the test. “He kept checking
every box,” Licht said.
Here is what The New York Times had to say about the actions of Winston.
A Star Player Accused, and a
Flawed Rape Investigation
Errors in Inquiry on Rape
Allegations Against F.S.U.'s Jamies Winston
Tallahassee,
Fla. — Early on the morning of Dec. 7, 2012, a freshman at Florida State
University reported that she had been raped by a stranger somewhere off campus
after a night of drinking at a popular Tallahassee bar called Potbelly’s.
As she gave her account to the police, several bruises began to appear, indicating recent trauma. Tests would later find semen on her underwear.
For nearly a year, the events of that evening remained a well-kept secret until the woman’s allegations burst into the open, roiling the university and threatening a prized asset: Jameis Winston, one of the marquee names of college football.
Three weeks after Mr. Winston was publicly identified as the suspect, the storm had passed. The local prosecutor announced that he lacked the evidence to charge Mr. Winston with rape. The quarterback would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and lead
Here is the full report from The New York Times.
Woman who accused Jameis Winston of rape sues football star
Updated 12:09
PM ET, Fri April 17, 2015
(CNN)Erica Kinsman, a former Florida State University
Kinsman has said Winston raped her in December 2012.
A prosecutor decided against bringing criminal charges in the case.
In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Kinsman alleges sexual battery,
false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Winston has said the sex was consensual.
CNN obtained the following statement from Winston's
attorney David Cornwell.
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Beyond the lawsuit, Ms. Kinsman was part of a new movie
released this week called The Hunting Ground, about how female college students
are the victims of predators seeking victims to rape.
Is this the kind
of role model we want for our urban youth?
.
