Treon Harris: Sexual Assault seems to be flooding athletic teams-both college and professional. #RESM 560V

Isn't it sad how the stories of sexual assault and domestic violence do not seem to “rock the fan base” as much as it used to in the world of athletics? Have we come to expect controversial issues and stories from these pedestal athletes? Has the shock factor been minimized by the quantity of these cases?

Treon Harris was the famous name behind the Florida Gators win against the Tennessee Volunteers last week. He has been accused of sexual assaulyt of a female student on the Florida campus in a residence hall. The school released the following statement:

“ We have no tolerance for sexual assault on our campus,” UF president Bernie Machen said in a statement. “The university is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for every member of the UF community. We must strive to protect all of our students from sexual harassment and assault, and do everything in our power to promote a safe learning environment.”

Harris has been suspended from all team activities as a result of this accusation.

Why does there seem to be an issue in male athletic teams surrounding sexual assault? What steps need to be taken in order to address these issues in an effective way? Unfortunately, the issue of sexual assault is multi-layered-at best.

One way to keep the consequences consistent in both collegiate and professional leagues is for the management and leaders in charge of creating policy to set a standard of punishment for all sexual assaults and domestic violence issues. Ideally, there would be a consistent punishment across the board that is communicated to all players and staff alike. This proposition is for the “upper ranks” of the NFL and NCAA offices.

I think the other issue is on the “front lines” of these teams and organizations. Support staff is in place-such as Directors of Player Engagement and Directors of Student-Athlete Development to help the athletes cope with outside stress. People holding these positions need to build relationships with their players and get to know the athletes to a point where a trust is built, so that if these issues come about, appropriate repercussions can be in place from someone who respects them. Helping the young men especially find out who they are outside of their sport is of utmost importance. Who are these men without the label of “NFL player” or “football player”? What are they passionate about outside of the sport that has defined them for most of their lives? These are the questions that would help the psyche of players and help them cope with all outside stress. Having supprt staff as intentional accountability would help the issue of men choosing to react instead of responding.