The Case Michigan State's Tom Izzo Could Have for Defamation

Over a week has passed since ESPN let loose its detailed report stemming from Larry Nassar's sexual assault incidences. The entire situation regarding the adequacy and possible active sexual assault cover ups at Michigan State University is unfortunate because there is so much that happened in the past that cannot be sufficiently remedied beyond justice being served. Some people are beginning to speak out against sexual assault cases they personally experienced, and some people are choosing to dig deeper into the dirt, almost as if trying to take ESPN's Outside the Lines report to the next level (and that report already took things to an uncomfortable but necessary level). In doing so, this creates a problem that implicates certain Michigan State figures - at this point, are we able to separate subjective opinion and irresponsible journalism from objective facts to learn what has really been going down in East Lansing?

Administrative Failures in Handling Sexual Assault is a Widespread Issue

In light of the horrible Larry Nassar & USA Gymnastics sexual assault matters & lawsuit, I wanted to share a piece I wrote back in 2013 (i.e., as a law student).

Keep in mind that I was a 2L at the time and did not have quite the understanding of the law as I do now 5 years later (oh my goodness, 2013 is already 5 years ago), but nonetheless, this Comment on USA Swimming is very informative and discusses the same issues as we are today within a different National Governing Body (NGB). Moreover, this Comment shows how another NGB dealt with sexual assault allegations initially and how its later dealings still proved to be insufficient. Hopefully, USA Gymnastics can learn from USA Swimming's past legislative and moral failures. Even more importantly, it evidences how Nassar and USA Gymnastics is only the latest example of administrative failures in handling sexual assault matters. It is a widespread issue across sports, and that widespread issue stretches well beyond sports at that.

In large part, USA Swimming's failures in handling sexual assault were not more widespread until 2017 thanks to an Indianapolis Star investigation. Not to toot my own horn here, but to a legal eye, this was easy to spot as a hot topic problem years before that.

Without further ado...

What We Cannot Choose To Ignore During Michigan State-Notre Dame Week

I almost forgot that this week was "Notre Dame week" for the Michigan State football-minded until my boyfriend commented on his outfit yesterday. He wore St. Patrick's Day socks with shamrocks all over them to match his khakis and Spartan polo because they were green and white, but after sporting that look the past 12 hours, he sighed and asked if I saw anything wrong with his outfit. My response, "Of all weeks to choose to wear those together..." Sorry, Mike!

There is one thing I definitely have not forgotten, though, despite the media seemingly choosing to give it minimal attention: The University of Notre Dame allegedly mishandled and covered up a sexual assault committed by a guy who was a member of its football team at the time.

Jaime, NCAAJaime MiettinenSeptember 22, 2017Notre Dame, College Football, sexual assault, Title IXComment

A Critical Look at Michigan's Decision to Fully Reinstate WR Grant Perry

It's just about the most wonderful time of the year! I cannot speak for y'all, but I am hyped for this college football season. The media has focused a great deal on nearly finalized rosters, one of which is ranked #17 in the AP preseason poll. For example, it has drawn much attention to the University of Florida's seven football players who are suspended in their season's first game on September 2 against the University of Michigan, including top wide receiver Antonio Callaway, due to their "misuse of school funds" and a handful of players suspended for pot. While those several young men definitively will not be playing, one player will be returning to the lineup on the opposite sideline. On August 11, Michigan announced that it was granting wide receiver Grant Perry full reinstatement to the football team just in time for the Wolverines' game against Florida in Arlington, Texas. The 2017-18 season has yet to really kick off aside from a few games this past weekend, but off-field conduct could already be influencing potential outcomes of individual games and teams' end-game.

Remember hearing about the Michigan Football player who allegedly pulled a Donald Trump-style move in East Lansing on the team's Bye Week? Well, that was Grant Perry. Before diving into the story, I believe it is important to highlight that Perry is the leading receiver for the young Wolverines, having two touchdowns and 27 catches in his first two seasons.

Comparing Two Student-Athlete Cases: Brock Turner & Cory Batey

Last Friday, former Vanderbilt football player Cory Batey was sentenced to 15 years for taking part in gang raping an unconscious female student in June 2013. In contrast, former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in jail - half of which he can avoid with good behavior - and three years of probation for sexually assaulting an unconscious female outside a fraternity house. Here, we have two sexual assault-related stories involving NCAA athletes (both of which are horrible though on somewhat different levels of severity according to law), a number of factors taking part in each judicial system's processes, and two very different results. I want to simply compare the facts to spark conversation and inform y'all in case you missed either one.

There Is More On The Line Than Jameis Winston's Reputation

If you are not following the Erica Kinsman lawsuit against former Heisman winner and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, you should be. It does not matter whether you are a football fan or whether you know how to follow a case or whether you believe her story. If you are a living human being, you can learn a lot about the legal system and the sports industry's stigma of sexual assault from what is going down and what could go down. Here are four reasons why.

Jaime, NCAA, NFL, CivilJaime MiettinenFebruary 1, 2016Jameis Winston, Erica Kinsman, sexual assault, defamationComment