The Sasha Menu Courey saga was a story worth telling…
And my intent was to boil hundreds of pages of information and documents I’d gathered over weeks and present them with the facts, in a chronological order.
Let me preface my conclusion today with the disclaimer that if this indeed occurred as reported, Courey didn’t “have it coming” and at no point am I accusing her of crying wolf.
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
Being an opinion columnist, my conclusion is my opinion, which likely is not a popular one.
False rape reports hit the news with a splash, but in reality, only about 2% of all rape accusations reported to police turn out to be false. That’s no higher than the false reporting of any other violent crime.
Tawana Brawley
Memorable examples include the 1987 Tawana Brawley case where she was found naked in a garbage bag, covered in feces with catchy words like “KKK”, “Nigger”, and “Bitch” scrawled on body.
The words “Reverend Al” should have also been inscribed upon her, since he’d had such a big hand in everything… allegedly.
Crystal Mangum
And few can forget when Crystal Mangum accused the entire Duke Lacrosse Team of gang-rape at a party where she’d been hired as a stripper. That charge was proven false but Mangum went on to bigger and better things, being found guilty in 2011 of stabbing her boyfriend to death after he “allegedly” beat and choked her.
Girl got some issues.
But let’s get to who owns what.
The University of Missouri let Courey down in one way – and only one way – but it was a huge one. The October medical assessment in which she claimed she’d been raped by “a football player” could have and should have been turned over to the Title IX people. Without a doubt.
That’s the first occasion I can find where MU was officially alerted to anything.
My prediction; MU gets a minor wrist slapping and its role will be played off as a minor piece in the larger puzzle.
What doesn’t add up in Courey’s story? A lot, some of it understandable, some hard to come to terms with if you want to be on her side. And I do.
First, she didn’t report anything to anyone at any time.
Studies by the ACLU, Campus Safety
Magazine and even Cosmo find that 95% of all campus rapes go unreported. If unreported, all evidence is lost. Add to that, that more than half of campus rape victims tell no one; not friends, not family, no one.
So clearly Courey’s not alone in having taken the path she did if indeed a rape did occur, but that’s going to spell the end of the case.
Second, nothing in the event sounds right to me.
She was in bed with her boyfriend. Regardless of the thug mentality some may want to assign to him, how likely is it that her boyfriend would have either, (a) set the stage for his friends to join in when he was done, or (b) just stood by as it happened?
Further, there’s little of Courey’s story that she attributes to him or his actions. He’s virtually unmentioned; where was he, what he was doing? It’s not part of her story. Sound odd to you? It does to me.
Third, how many women would you think attempt to – or would have the freedom to make phone calls to friends – in mid-rape?
Further, how many rapists would have the attitude, “I’m gonna be back here doin my thing, I’ll try to be quiet while you make your calls, OK?”
No matter how many times I read this part of the account, I can’t get my head around it.
Finally, and most damning, her best friend, Rolandis Woodland, claims Courey sent him a video of the incident. She’s his best friend; the video is the lone piece of evidence proving she was raped by three men.
How likely would Woodland be to misplace that video?
(I’m not even going to debate the likelihood of these guys transferring the cell phone video to a PC, burning a DVD then, somehow, forwarding it to her….as a souvenir?)
God forgive me if I’m wrong, but if I was sitting on the jury – or was the newly assigned detective on the case – relying on just facts and cognitive thought process, that’s where I’d have to come down on this case.
My prediction; the boyfriend and all the “players” get interviewed but no charges are filed against anyone.
What could have been done differently that would have left Courey in a better position?
Less than a quarter of rapes are stranger based and 90% of acquaintance rapes involve alcohol consumption by the victims. When you aren’t in control of your own faculties, the odds of your safety and outcome become stacked against you.
Rape has a socioeconomic demographic, like it or not.
And sexual assault among men in professional or collegiate athletics scores high on the chart. These two facts are too often combined into a single perpetrator. Mix in too much alcohol and you’ve got a cocktail suitable for a Lifetime network docudrama.
Courey was a girl in deep pain.
Had that pain been caused by her gallbladder, appendix or cancer, she would have been given the best of everything. However instead she suffered emotional pain and mental anguish. Today, we still don’t know what to do with that kind of illness and a beautiful, talented woman is needlessly dead.
Courey failed herself with some bad choices. MU, to a lesser extent, let her down. But as she screamed at the police as she was slitting her wrist, the “system” also let her down.
And that, it did.
sorry Wilson…this entire 3 part series is a mish mash of nothing.
Just cut and paste some stuff…throw out a few quotes that mean nothing…
prove nothing and in the end finish nothing.
NO charges filed against anyone? Wow…now that’s a great conclusion
considering theres no evidence…a dead body…no samples….just a
womans hand written notation “raped by football player” when she was
under some of the most stressful and horrible conditions a person can
be under. Did you read her report and her condition when she made that
claim….that wouldn’t hold up in court anywhere.
So just like the bad ending to the stalker kid…this story ends up with a
big freaking THUD OF NOTHING!!!!!
cONJECTURE…INUENDO…FALSE ASSUMPTIONS….MAKE BELIEVE
INFORMATION…I MEAN COME ON….THIS IS NOT ONLY LOUSY
BUT ITS WORTHLESS to the readers…
next time stick to what you know best.
Sorry dude…but when you publish this kind of stuff you deserve to
be taken to the shed.
This was horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what rape chart are you using..publish this rate chart so we can see
where pro and college athletes rank high. I think you made this so called
chart up…n0o facts..no basis for the remark…and most importantly another
figment of a kcc writers imagination.
better luck next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First, Harlis, I want to thank you for being one of my loyal fans, de3ciples and readers, it’s much appreciated. Waiting till 10pm to read my final installment takes dedication and loyalty, thank you.
As for my “rape chart” I sited all the sources, the ACLU, AAWU, CDC and Cosmo, no less, all agreed within points of each other. Unlike some, I seek multiple sources for facts before I offer them as such.
And again, you’re our MIZZOUGURU, by your own admission, you never heard of the story till I wrote it. That alone should get me one a them Poolitzer writun prizes, wouldn’t it?
Have a great night.
Your friend,
Paul
Ok, that was funny.
🙂
I thought it was funny, Chuck, but I’ll rest assured having your confirmation. And for that, I thank you.
And if you look below, at “absmith” comment, Harley got slapped by a girl!
If I were sitting on a jury and the physical evidence was laid before me as described, I would be unable to find one or more people guilty. I have no doubt that your research and statistics are correct Paul because I happen to know how much research goes into everything you’ve ever presented.
Wonderful three part series….tragic end for the talented young woman.
Side note – Harley, you are a twit.
find something better to do at 2:15 am….
maybe get some lovin’ as they say.
however…you agreed with me 100% dumbsmith so my point apparently
was correct about this entire episode.
and look who was the first to point out that Wilson “woodward” was
off base…was using items that would never hold up in court…that
the entire series was a cut and paste from espn otl and that in the
end nothing of legal preponderance was noted.
Maybe Wilson “woodward” wanted some ink to get people riled.
But it seems the more intelligent people on this site who commented
agreed again that this entire series of cut and paste articles was
nothing more than a lousy excuse to fill up space on hearnes site when
we could have read stories about Topeka flight schedules/or a debate
on david cook/or something more factual than this 3 part mini series
of mish mash that everyone agrees was a waste of hearnes blog space.
As for dumbsmith…thanks for reading my comments. I’m fond of the
fact that my comments get more readersss than 90% of the phony
stories on this blog.
thanks.
Harley
maybe this is why Harley is always right!!!! Because he can spot a
dog when he sees one!
I am willing to forgive you for suggesting that I should “getting some loving” at 2:15 am this morning only because there is no possible way that you can know that I am currently caring for my critically ill mother.
That being said. …never suggest that the reason I read an article written by Paul Wilson is to agree with the absurdities that are what you consider intelligent responses. You give yourself too much credit. Narcissistic much?
By the way….you call me ‘dumbsmith’ and then congratulate me for being in agreement with your opinion. ….what part of that makes sense to you?
Nice series Paul. You can see why the prosecutor didn’t bring charges.
I was able to (Maybe you can still find it on the web, I don’t know.) listen to the testimony from one of the girls Ben Rapelesburger raped. It was damning and rang true to me. He would be doing 20 years if I was on the jury for his trial.
The out of control athletic programs in our “Institutions of Higher Learning” all over America, have, in many cases become an embarrassment. Priorities have shifted from actual erudition to an institutional chauvinism that transcends the moral agency still required of those with 8 second 40’s and left those athletes at parties with 40’s exempt from oversight.
Ironically, if the NCAA is disbanded (As many think will happen.) and college athletes are paid for their efforts (Professors in the obvious disciplines shudder.), then those same, now employees might have their moneymakers held to the fire.
By the way, I mention Big Ben because tales of his misconduct stretch back to his college days and “he said, she said” controversy part of his history.
Taken from Sasha’s best friends Facebook page. Mizzou grad, football player, now employeed in the St Louis public school system.
“A guy has to go to jail over child support…..how does that happen? Crazy. Do you guys think child support is unfair? Let me no!”
Dude got a $100K edumacation, there’s the end result.
comments coming from one of the most vile/disgusting/
horrid/racist commentators on any blog does nothing to
deter me from writing the truth.
thanks….
Chuck:
Hard for me to conjure paid college football athletes and no NCAA.
They will have to have some oversight body won’t they? Aside from the individual schools, I mean.
Then, if they’re paid, the question would be how much. If not enuff, the best athletes would leap to the pros like some of the freshman basketball wunder kids are now, maybe relegating college football to second tier pro football, the minor leagues.
Would people be as fascinated with that as they are now?
Maybe it’s inevitable but…
The talking heads on ESPN, media, blogs, etc etc are all over this. I am just repeating what I hear on the tube and in print. The BCS and the college football playoffs over the last several years is one of the prime reasons as I understand it. It isn’t interesting enough to me to research it, but the level of conversation with sports guys in media is all one sided (Again, from what I have heard.), they think the NCAA is moribund and has lost relevance.
Glazer should know.
🙂
By the way Harley, thanks for the shout out.
🙂
Geeesh, Hman, just when I thought you were going to play nice, you go and attack a great female poet, in “dumbsmith.” Looks like you have to go back on ignore, you’re never nice for too long, you’d think I’d learn that in 12 months.
Paul, what did you expect from H-Man when you dared critique his beloved MU and call into question anything this infallible institution could have done wrong? You don’t have any answers, but what in the world are you doing even asking the questions? H-Man…..the king of hyperbole. Let’s see…..your article was lousy, horrible, nothing, worthless and a figment of your imagination. Throw in exclamation marks in excess of 70 and you have all the makings of an objective, well thought out commentary by the Harlinator. Such things simply cannot happen in Columbia, MO. You must have made the whole thing up. Tiger athletes would never do such a…………Oh wait…..
wrong jim.
1. paul…as you know this was not a personal attack.
It was my opinion of your piece…nothing personal dude
in it. The story was very shaky and the writing was not up
to your usual standards. NO mentions of you or your family.
Just that this article was very very weak and your conclusions
in your story were off base. There was nothing personal
in it. As you know I wasthe first to come out and go after those
low lifes who went after your family. This is not personal
…its about the story you wrote…nothing more..nothing
less. Sorry if you took it the wrong way but when you
write something about a topic like that its best that you’re
on your best game. Again…please don’t take my critiques
personal….in my opinion (for whsat its worth) it was
very weak on a very serious subject. You know you can do
better. I still will have a beer with you sometime and we
can debate the facts then. Butalso remember I asked you
to delve deeper into the story and said I wasn’t aware of
many of the facts. You pointed out you had 100 pages of
information on the story but all we read was what was in the
espn otl original work. Again…you could have just put that
story up and commented about it on hearnes blog.
Dude..hope you didn’t take it personally…not meantthat
way….but I focused on the lack of items…the lack of
evidence and to be honest was disappointed that your final
part wasn’t better.
2. as far as the lady…fact remains she agreed with what
isaid. I was the first to point out the holes and question you
on more facts and how without evidence…without a complete
story…you could make some vague conclusions about “who
let who down”. Ifthe rape occurred…god will punish the
perpetrators. Its a horrible horrible crime that cries out for
strict enforcement. But we’re a nation of laws and must
take that into account.
Jim: I have been very critical over periods of time
about mu. As an alumni I’ve questioned many of their
decisions. Not limited to their handling of different
situations with student athletes. But I can’t forget what
Norm Stewart told me when I worked for him in the
athletic department. These are kids..they will make mistakes…
they will do things kids do.
I was very critical of hirings…firings…the way they handled ricky….some of the chancellors moves etc. over the years.
Yes…horrible things can happen…and mu has had their
shareof them. I don’t think there’s ever been a rape case
before. Amd in this instance there may have been
some things they could have done better and handled
differenetly…but at this period of time it was hard to
determine what could have been done and what they
did wrong. Alden did make a statement to that affect but
in the investigation I’m sure there will be other things that
are noted that could have been handled better.
It happens everywhere jim….dealing with young athletes
brings its problems…from ku’s bball team…to mu’s
d backs…to the #1 high school player in the nation smoking
pot…..these things happen everyday and many never make the
news. These are kids put under an incredible spotlight.
No…I’m sure mu has had their share…and they’ve had
to pay for those mistakes.
Now..if they can take 5 million bucks down to Wichita and
get their bball coach everything will be just fine!!!!!!!!!
sorry about the exclamation marks and …..’s …..just
writing fast and don’t have time to grammar or spell check.
Love to all
Your friend
Harley
female poet?….seems like a boorish individual who needs
some good sex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! twit? haven’t heard that
term in years…except from 13 year old girls talking among themselves.
but I give her credit…she does find my arguments that ihave made
to be relevant and correct.
as always….Harley can now include this young woman as another
fan/reader and disciple! thanks.
It’ll be interesting to see what the upshot is of the Title IX angle in conjunction with health privacy laws. How does one affect the other? Which legislation is the University supposed to ahere to? Paul states that Title IX should’ve been followed, but is that his opinion or is it a legal fact?
Under/non-reporting of rape and serious crimes on campus is a plaque at many schools.
Penn State is under investigation for ignoring The Cleary Act across the board. Not just athletes but the whole student body.
The truth will never be known now. A high price was paid to keep it on the low down.