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Is the EMU’sfuture
renovation, includ
ing new vendors
and wider corri
dors, necessary?
Let us know.
editorials, letters, commentary and perspective
Mmmwm
BY MAIL: P.O. Box 3159,
Eugene, OR 97403
BY PHONE: (541)346-5511
BY E-MAIL: ode@oregon.
uoregon. edu
IN PERSON: Suite 300, EMU
Recent lies hurt future victims
■ OUR OPINION: A former strippers
claims of rape further tip the scales
of sexual assault
n the wake of accusations by a 23
year-old woman that Dallas Cow
boy Erik Williams raped her while
JL teammate Michael Irvin held a gun
to her head, it’s easy to jump to conclu
sions.
Many columnists and sportswriters
across the country determined the foot
ball players guilt before any charges
had been filed. And as far as making
conclusions, the Emerald was no differ
ent.
An editorial was originally planned
discussing, in no small part, how pro
fessional and collegiate athletes need to
recognize their “mortality." The
Irvin/Williams situation was to be used
as an example in the argument. And
while we still believe athletes (and the
people who watch them) need to be
conscious of their role in society, the
fact that we wanted to incorporate an
incident in which no charges had even
been filed proves we were caught up in
the same web of deceit that many oth
ers tell victim to.
The accuser, former topless dancer
Nina Shahravan, irreversibly damaged
a variety of people with her false
claims. After police cleared Irvin and
Williams on Jan. 10, Irvin's lawyer,
Royce West, told the Associated Press
that Shahravan’s precedent may stir
other women to make "some fast mon
ey” by capitalizing on celebrities’ fame.
But Shahravan hurt a lot more than
just athletes’ reputations and future
safety against criminal accusers. In fact,
she may have strengthened the safety
net that athletes and those in the public
eye already have.
Most damaging and most important
is Shahravan’s effect on the credibility
of future victims of sexual assault. As
we have said before, accusing someone
of rape or assault is always difficult, no
matter how legitimate the claim. Gen
uine victims of sexual assault often be
come additional victims — of public
scrutiny or shame — when it is their as
sailants who rightfully should be faced
with these problems.
Shahravan’s cruel hoax skewed a
playing field that was already hopeless
ly out of balance. Serious questions
will appear whenever a famous person
is accused of sexual assault, and to a
lesser degree, when anyone is accused.
As West said, the accusers may be look
ing for “fast money" but more impor
tantly, they may be telling the truth.
In the case of athletes vs. their ac
cusers, athletes can handle the criti
cism and the doubts behind their inno
cence. With money and power on their
side, athletes (if falsely accused) can
surely uncover the truth. The accusers,
on the other hand, cannot afford such
serious questions about their legitima
cy.
Of course, athletes do bad things —
sometimes, terrible things. On July 15
of last year, Irvin himself pleaded no
contest to second-degree felony cocaine
possession in exchange for four years
deferred probation. Indeed, Irvin’s his
tory was the main reason why the accu
sations against him were so overblown.
But Irvin didn’t deserve the treat
ment he received from the media, pub
*
/
iiu aiiu onamavaii nerseii. 11 was umur
tunate Dallas police felt the need to
hold a press conference to announce
the accusations and in turn, fan the
flames of Shahravan’s story.
Shahravan’s accusations, like all po
tential sexual assault, deserved to be in
vestigated — but not in the public eye.
Because of the treatment her story was
given, she was given credibility with
out earning it. And when her accusa
tions were deemed false, the damage
was already done.
The public and the media are to
blame for accepting Shahravan’s story,
but she is guilty of creating it. And be
cause of her duplicity, everyone from
athletes to accusers will feel the hurt for
years to come. But after weaving
through the truth and the lies, it is the
victims who are punished the most —
and deserve it the least.
This editorial represents the opinion of
the Emerald editorial board.
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/EmeraJd
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The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday
during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer
by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of
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