The Jerramy Stevens Tale

[onpoint]

Have fun with this one, Husky fans.

Convicted of assault and accused of rape, star player received raft of second chances

Courtesy of deadspin.com.

[Dan Wishengrad]

The story you link is only the first part of a series being run on the front page of the Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/victoryandruins/

After Sunday's Chapter 1 on Stevens, yesterday dealt with Linebacker Jeremiah Pharms and today's third chapter is on Curtis Williams. Williams was paralyzed in a game against Stanford and ultimately died, and has been treated as a tragic folk hero here locally. But the story today paints a chilling picture of a guy who should never have been allowed to even participate in the first place, being a convicted felon and a serial spouse-abuser who ignored court orders repeatedly. There is also much discussion about athletes being allowed to take "mick" academic courses -- 15 credits for taking "Swahili" is going to generate alot of controversy here and around the country. So is simply "going after" C-Dub in the first place. Despite the obvious truths about Williams and the relevance to this series, alot of folks are going to be very upset, and will accuse the Times of trampling on Williams's grave and not allowing the dead to rest in peace.

But IMHO this is an important series of articles, and these shameful problems at UW -- in the past -- are one big reason why so many of us support Ty Willingham as Head Coach, wins and losses notwithstanding. The class and integrity of our current coach will help assure this stuff won't ever be repeated while Ty is at the helm.

[Timbalaned]

man had never read or heard anything about that before but stevens is a dirt ball. it is amazing what they let you get away with if you are making them money

[Dan Wishengrad]

man had never read or heard anything about that before but stevens is a dirt ball. it is amazing what they let you get away with if you are making them money

Read Chapters 2 and 3, Brauck. Stevens is almost a saint compared to Pharms and Williams. If having a roster of "student-athletes" like these profiled players is what it takes to have a winning football program, I guess I'd rather see the Huskies go 3-10.

But I sure wish I could get some of our Husky Lacrosse players into that 15-credit Swahili class, where if you learn to master some basic greetings it sounds like you earn an automatic "A". Got to be easier than carrying a full load in a micro-biology or aeronautics engineering major program.

PS Good luck, UCLA, with Coach Neuheisel now at your helm. Better assign a competent "watchdog" to protect your program and your school's future reputation.

[GrayBear]

PS Good luck, UCLA, with Coach Neuheisel now at your helm. Better assign a competent "watchdog" to protect your program and your school's future reputation.

Ouch.

[TheBearcatHimself]

Read Chapters 2 and 3, Brauck. Stevens is almost a saint compared to Pharms and Williams. If having a roster of "student-athletes" like these profiled players is what it takes to have a winning football program, I guess I'd rather see the Huskies go 3-10.

This is a great series that has been started, and I think it is important to understand that this is a not a Washington specific problem. There are thousands of women (and in many cases men) who are victimized by football programs throughout the country every year, just look at Colorado as well (ironically a former Neuhisel haunt).

I did a google search to do a little personal investigation into Stevens and found a Seattle PI blog where dozens of posters shockingly defended Stevens' actions and attacked the PI for their series focusing on "select wrongdoers" and ignoring the other 100 players on the team "busting their asses." Sadly some people don't realize that it is the actions of a few that give many their bad reputation, right or wrong.

Article is a must-read though, regardless of your viewpoints on Husky football.

[onpoint]

I agree. This speaks more to the sport-centric society we live in as a whole (and I say that with the admission that my entire life revolves around and exists only because of a sport that just about no one in the world cares about) rather than only to UW. "Allegations" of student-athlete misconduct that go unpunished are certainly not limited to only this case. I remember specifically in high school the "no-tolerance" for fighting and drug possession that resulted in immediate 5 day suspensions being waived for star football players.

[laxfan25]

Just finished reading the Stevens story, and I feel really dirty. He is a low-life scumbag, but what is really galling is the entire cast of enablers rom his whole sordid life. There is plenty of shame to go around here.
Are those prosecutors still in office? I would think these articles will get the community talking a little bit. And if Stevens looks like a saint compared to these other two...
Sickening.
As Bearcat pointed out, this isn't unique to UW, and it might explain just a little why many people didn't find the Duke story to be ludicrous at first - it was all very plausible on its face.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Just finished reading the Stevens story, and I feel really dirty. He is a low-life scumbag, but what is really galling is the entire cast of enablers rom his whole sordid life. There is plenty of shame to go around here.

It's really tough to separate fact from fiction. Jeramy Stevens can come off like a fine young man when you listen to him. He comes from a solid, loving home (BOTH his parents are school teachers) and is an intelligent man. He also clearly has made some terrible decisions, mostly when under the influence of drugs and alcohol. I agree he should be judged by and made to live with the fallout from these actions, but things aren't always quite so black-and-white. Did he enjoy special treatment as a star athlete? Absolutely, and if he did commit the rape he should have been thrown in jail and never gotten the chance to star for his hometown Huskies or Seahawks. I am NOT condoning any actions of Stevens, just saying that the point of this series is not to villify any individual player, coach or administrator, but rather to damn an entire program which lost institutional control in the fervor of trying to win a national championship, in a state where nothing less was expected or tolerated.

Are those prosecutors still in office?

Yes. Mark Larson, who is referred to in the article, is a friend of mine and a pillar of the Washington lacrosse community, serving on the high school board. His son Luke just graduated from Kenyon, where he led the team in scoring last season and was named a DIII All-American:

http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x25608.xml

Mark's a good guy, and the article shows he and his staff were under enormous political pressure during the early part of this century to not "destroy" Husky football. Hugh Barber, Deputy Prosecutor on Larson's staff, is a star men's club Goalie for Seattle LC and was an assistant coach on our staff from 2000 through 2002 when I served as Head Coach, and when these problems existed with the football program. Hughie is volunteering again this year, and we expect him out tomorrow night to work with our Keepers. These are good people, IMHO.

[Zeuslax]

Is anyone else surprised by the fact that Stevens is the son of two school teachers?

[Beta]

He also clearly has made some terrible decisions, mostly when under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The only thing "influencing" him was his lack of morals and the fact that he is dirt and deserves to be in jail. At least there hasn't been any discussion (that I've seen) blaming his parents or upbringing.

[Gvlax]

habitual offender - not much can be done to cure him. Only possibilities is that when he ages out of the crime years (around 25-30) he adapts to society or starts a family. Even then most habitual offenders are never cured.

[Zeuslax]

The only thing "influencing" him was his lack of morals and the fact that he is dirt and deserves to be in jail. At least there hasn't been any discussion (that I've seen) blaming his parents or upbringing.

While I agree with what you're saying it sounds like this guy definitely has a substance abuse problem. There are a ton of quality individuals out there that are struggling with the disease of addiction. It doesn't seem like the case here, but I'm always wary of the sensational nature of papers now a days. They paint the picture of his invincible nature that has been propped up by a flawed approach to "star athletes" discipline. It's easy to see this linear progression of infallibility and recklessness playing out. There are a 100 great DI football players for every Stevens out there. However, we all know that this story isn’t that uncommon.

It also sounds like he's (or everyone that has drive on the same streets as this guy) lucky he hasn't killed anyone driving.

[laxfan25]

It's really tough to separate fact from fiction.

I don't know Dan. The article laid out the facts pretty well I thought, and it's not a pretty picture. The line stretches back to high school - stomping on a kid's head - and continues on through sexual assault and repeated drunk-driving episodes. When does it stop? When he finally kills someone behind the wheel? If he wasn't a highly skilled tight-end, able to put up "game MVP" numbers, would he have been given these repeated passes?
And for the prosecutors to somehow ignore the fact the there was a DNA match between Stevens and the semen in the girl's vagina and RECTUM (with a very strong likelihood that he gave her a dose of date-rape drug) does little to earn this distant observer's respect.
The U's behavior in all of this is equally tawdry. The sad thing is that it is standard operating procedure at any of the football factories in america.

[Beta]

While I agree with what you're saying it sounds like this guy definitely has a substance abuse problem. There are a ton of quality individuals out there that are struggling with the disease of addiction.

Then maybe they should just...I dunno...not drink.

It also sounds like he's (or everyone that has drive on the same streets as this guy) lucky he hasn't killed anyone driving.

It'd be ok though...he has a......a "disease".....[glug glug]