Kat O’Brien: I was raped by an MLB player

Unfortunately the board doesn't have the female component it once did, and more's the pity.

 

[QUOTE="WriteThinking, post: 4829228, member: 9261"

It is so strong that I do think she would have been believed, and hopefully, supported, and the player would have been investigated and punished had these details come out soon after the sexual assault occurred. That small window of time is so key to any potential real impact and whether or not justice is to be done, because the possibility of actual physical evidence gets lost by women waiting 18 years to report such things. Now, of course it's only going to be a case of she said/he said.

But, reported sooner -- to the police, and not just the woman's mother, friends, editor, team or league -- she'd be believed, perhaps more so, even, than if she waited to tell.


Really, a similar sort of "face" and person-hood should be given to the attacker, too, and a name would do that, so I think I actually understand ThomasONE's point.
QUOTE]

None of that is true. She would have been vilified, not believed and run out of her job.

Again, it's not about him. It doesn't matter who it was. It matters that the story could not be told by a 22 year old and believed because American culture is misogynistic to the core.

 

I guess I'm not as sure as gingerbread and Mngwa about what would have happened back then. I'm not sure how anyone could be, especially if there was actual physical evidence to be had.

That, combined with her reputation, her skills, her talents, her good standing, the support her paper should have given her, all might have stood O'Brien in good stead.

I know it would have been difficult for a young reporter to go through and to try to come through, just like writing this essay and putting it out there left her fingers trembling -- because it is making this most private of matters public. But O'Brien did this, and I think she could have done that, too. That is meant as a compliment.

With regard to the attacker, if he has acted against other women besides O'Brien, I'd say it absolutely matters who it was. Being specific and giving such details in no way takes away from any non-specific, big-picture movement that O'Brien might've intended to join.

Putting forth such information sooner afterward would have been more effective back then than it might be now, even.

I say all this because this instance sounds like much more than just a suggestive comment, an unwanted advance, or even harassment. That lends strength to the case.

 

Please stop acting as if you know what she went through, what she is still going through, or what she could have handled at age 22. Especially since you've said you don't know her.

And anyone who's been in this business understands EXACTLY how this would have played out. Eighteen years on, we've still got people here saying she should name the rapist, despite the tremendous blowback and heartache it would cause her, the victim.

 

This “she should name the guy” or even better “she should have come out with this and his name in 2002” reminds me of Bill Paxton in Aliens:

“I don’t know if you’ve been keeping track of current events but....”

When was the last time or even the first time where an accuser was believed immediately and not attacked?? If you think that’s what would’ve happened in 2002 against a famous baseball player at that, nope.

 

I honestly don't understand anyone, especially a woman, who thinks this would have turned out in O'Brien's favor had she gone to the cops 18 years ago. Holy fuck. Seriously. The player would have said she came to my room, we had sex. And EVERYONE would have believed him.

 

Ragu, you parsed something I didn't say. I don't ever think rape is in a woman's favor, I simply meant the legal case, but you knew that.

 

A lot of you need to STFU and listen to Gingerbread. She speaks the truth.

 

Tim Baffde on the Kane case in 2015:
Almost everything Gingerbread described happened in 2015.
Patrick Kane rape case held mirror up to a sorry sports culture - Sports Illustrated