The defense did drop the 2 felony aggravated indecent assault charges against the suspended Penn State tail back, citing lack of evidence for the reason these charges were dropped.

Scott and his accuser have similar stories regarding the early morning hours of October 5. Both say that they had met once before, and developed a text-message friendship before deciding to meeting at a bar. She went back with Scott to his on-campus apartment, where she testified today that he raped her. Scott does not deny that the meeting occurred, but upholds his statement that the sex was consensual.

Scott has been suspended indefinitely from the Penn State football team and has been asked to clean out his locker by coach Joe Paterno. He will, however, be allowed to remain as a Penn State student while he fights the charges.

Scott is 22 and originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Post from: EveryJoe

Austin Scott’s Preliminary Hearing on Rape Charges

And yet, one opinion is overwhelmingly present both on and offline: Scott is in deep shit because Scott acted like shit. Personally, I think that a rape will be hard to prove. I’m not trying to undermine the  young lady involved, because if she was raped, I hope that Scott is brought to justice. I’m just saying that it will be hard to prove.  Here’s why:

• The rape happened on October 5, allegedly. Did she report it right away? A rape kit might show some bruising that could prove her case, but if she didn’t head to the hospital within the next few hours, that evidence will be gone.

• She was in his apartment after meeting him at the bar. I’ve been to bars, and I’ve met guys there. I know how it works. It’s called a “walk of shame” for a reason. Most girls who leave with guys do so specifically because they’re interested in some midnight romping. I’m not saying that’s what happened here, but the norm is that if you leave with a guy to go back to his place, you’re going to sleep with him.

I’m not a lawyer. These are just practical observations.

In any case, let’s get back to the fact that Scott is an ass. It doesn’t matter if the rape happened or not – he was out at the bar before the Iowa game. Friends of the family have said that Scott only went to the bar to pick up a friend. Yeah right. I definitely don’t believe that. There are hundreds of places in State College to meet someone if you need to pick them up. He knew team rules. If that was the ONLY place to meet this friend, then he could have at least waited outside. JoePa doesn’t just kick a player off of the team whenever he feels like it. He kicks off players that are stupid.

Scott hasn’t just acted immaturely. He is immature. At the beginning of the season, I thought there would be a real personal push for him to do his best and maybe even make a go for the NFL. Instead, he choose to focus on his friends and his good times during college. And hey, that’s fine. Go out at night if you want – but then don’t play on a Big Ten football team.

The preliminary trial is set for Wednesday at 11. I’ll keep you updated on the situation.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Post from: EveryJoe

The Austin Scott Rape: It Will Be Hard To Prove

There’s speculation that Scott was involved in a rape. Who do you think you are? Get off that campus. Penn State is a place for EXCELLENCE.

In any case, JoePa has suspended Scott indefinitely. People in the locker room tell us that he told the others that Scott is “no longer a member of this team.” That’s pretty serious, especially for a guy who’s always given players the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty on the Nittany Lion team…but if you’re guilty the coach will kick your ass. And don’t think he can’t. He may be old enough to remember the last ice age, but he will put a hurting on you.

I think that The Nittany Turkey summed it up best, saying,

The sad thing brought out by this incident, among others, is that this team has no leadership. If it had, the Scott problem might never have occurred. A sports team is just a collection of individuals without leadership.

Post from: EveryJoe

Austin Scott…