The defendants in the case were instructed by their school and team to obtain video consent from their sexual partners, which was something horrifying. One of the disturbing aspects of the case was that the defendants said they were getting a video without consent. Our colleagues at Jezebel expertly covered the numerous aspects of this case, which even speaks to the festering problem of sexual assault among sports programs on campus.
“I’m on the football team and this is something that we just are taught to do to protect ourselves,” Amir I. Riep testified he told one of the women before recording. “It’s nothing against you.”
Otherwise, Lloyd McFarquhar, a former football player at Ohio State University, and another witness, Riep, testified that they were instructed to procure evidence to protect themselves from any potential legal ramifications if anyone consented to having sex.
Jerry Emig, a spokesperson for the Ohio State football team, conveyed a statement to The Columbus Dispatch through email, stating:
“In general, when the Department of Athletics speaks with student-athletes about consent, we work closely with subject matter experts on campus and follow the university’s well established Non-Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Policy.
“You’ll see that page one of the policy defines consent as, ‘permission that is clear, knowing, voluntary, and expressed prior to engaging in and during an act. Consent is active, not passive. Silence, in and of itself, cannot be interpreted as consent. Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create mutually understandable clear permission regarding willingness to engage in (and the conditions of) sexual activity.’”
Instead we receive this, but considering this is college football. Therefore, rather than providing its football players with an easy way out, it is expected that the institution would show greater interest in educating its players and all students on the meaning of consent and the responsibilities that come with it, thus ensuring a sense of safety for everyone on campus.
Where could they have obtained that concept? They must have had this “proof,” and it was evident that the players were aware. Despite her obvious inability to do so, the purported victim was recorded affirming that she gave consent in the Hockey Canada case. We have already gone over this.
It appears to have been effective, surprisingly enough, in Columbus, which is even more unfortunate. Educate everyone more effectively and eradicate this malevolence from its origin, taking the necessary time to do so if required. How will this situation ever improve? Instead of demonstrating “how to evade consequences,” these establishments are simply instructing young males or boys on the principles of treating women with honor and propriety, as well as the appropriate approach to engaging in sexual experiences.