The New York Times claims that a rape investigation against Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston was deeply flawed
According to The Times, Investigators showed little interest in finding out what happened. They delayed talking to witnesses, interviewing Winston and did not collect his DNA. Well, what do you expect? After all, Jameis Winston was Florida State’s super-star football player. They’re not about to let a little ‘ole rape get in the way of glory for good old FSU. It’s what you should expect – star treatment for a star.
NYT REPORT REVEALS FLAWS IN JAMEIS INVESTIGATION; FSU RESPONDS
By Ken Bradley
Sporting News
April 16, 2014
The Tallahassee Police Department and Florida State University fell short in investigating the details of what happened when a female student reported that she was raped in December 2012, The New York Times reported.
In a story published Wednesday, The Times showed flaws in the investigation by police as well as shortcomings by the university in the sexual assault investigation of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston.
In December, Florida State Attorney Willie Meggs announced that Winston would not be charged after completing the investigation. Meggs’ office took the case in November 2013.
“The police did not follow the obvious leads that would have quickly identified the suspect as well as witnesses, one of whom videotaped part of the sexual encounter. After the accuser identified Mr. Winston as her assailant, the police did not even attempt to interview him for nearly two weeks and never obtained his DNA,” wrote Walt Bogdanich in The Times.
The report revealed that the TPD detective on the case didn’t file his first report until two month after the accusation and then “prematurely suspended his inquiry without informing the accuser.”
The Times story also placed the spotlight on the university.
“Records show that Florida State’s athletics department knew about the rape accusation early on, in January 2013, when the assistant athletic director called the police to inquire about the case. Even so, the university did nothing about it, allowing Mr. Winston to play the full season without having to answer any questions. After the championship game, in January 2014, university officials asked Mr. Winston to discuss the case, but he declined on the advice of his lawyer.”
Florida State responded with a statement Wednesday and made point-by-point items it said “were either missing or downplayed in the NYT article.”
“The university expresses its deep disappointment in today's New York Times story alleging FSU officials did not properly investigate a rape allegation against Jameis Winston ‘in apparent violation of federal law.’ It also vigorously objects to the newspaper's characterization of the university as being uncooperative in explaining its actions,” the statement read.
According to the statement, Florida State provided The Times with “numerous written answers over a period of weeks” and stated “Most of the responses were left out of the story, giving readers an incorrect impression of the university’s efforts on behalf of sexual assault victims under Title IX.”
The investigative piece pointed out other things puzzling parts to the investigation:
— Potbelly’s, where the woman met Winston that night, has more than 30 security cameras. The detective handling the investigation never asked for the tapes. Once the prosecutor asked for them — months later — the tapes had been recycled.
— The woman remembered a person she took a cab with from Potbelly’s to an apartment swiped his student identification card (to get a reduced rate). Officer Scott Angulo contacted the cab company, but wrote in his report, “The GPS units on the vehicles are not precise enough to eliminate enough cabs to focus the search.”
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