So many times we hear in the news claims of rape by male athletes. One of the most egregious examples is the case of the Duke LaCross team whose members were accused of raping and abusing a stripper. After a highly publicized trial, in which several members of the team were on the hot seat, it was revealed that the woman had lied.
The young men’s lives had been raked over the coals, and would never be the same. It was a terrible abuse of justice in which the prosecutor would eventually be disbarred and jailed after his misconduct in the case was discovered.
Now, a Long Island, New York woman has accused two Sacred Heart University football players of rape. She has maintained those accusations for more than a year. 19-year old Nikki Yorvino claims that the rapes happened at an off-campus fraternity party.
“I don’t want to be in here. I don’t want to do anything,” Yorvino claims she told the young men, who she says took turns raping her in a bathroom in the basement of the house.
The young men eventually left school, and as you might imagine, their lives were changed forever. Both admitted to having had sex with Yorvino, but both say it was consensual. They faced a disciplinary hearing at the school, but both decided to leave voluntarily to avoid expulsion.
For her part, Yorvino finally admitted that she had lied. Her motive? She says she was trying to gain sympathy from another man.
Yorvino, who was facing six years in prison, this week accepted a plea deal that will see her sentenced to only one year in prison. An attorney for the young men says they will decide whether or not to sue Yorvino for her false allegations.
Is one year in prison really a deterrent, and do you think Yorvino’s punishment should have been more harsh?
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