K-State QB Roberson accused of sexual assault, might miss bowl GAME

CBS Sportsline ^ | 1/1/2004 | SportsLine.com wire reports

[Therapist]

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson was accused Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman at the team hotel, leaving his start in the Fiesta Bowl in question.

Roberson told police he had consensual sex with the 22-year-old woman, who is a Kansas State alumna and acquaintance of the quarterback, Paradise Valley police Lt. Ron Warner said.

Neither the woman nor Roberson were staying in the room where they had sex at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, Warner said.

Kansas State athletic director Tim Weiser said it would be up to coach Bill Snyder whether Roberson, the Wildcats' career total-offense record holder, would play Friday night against Ohio State. Freshman Dylan Meier is the backup quarterback.

"I've know coach Snyder for several years now and I know he'll do the right thing," Weiser said.

"We are dealing with partial information. To identify an individual, we think, is unfair. But we respect the legal system and the decision they made."

Ell Roberson's playing status for the Fiesta Bowl will be decided by coach Bill Snyder.

AP) The woman told police she was assaulted between 3-3:30 a.m. The investigation began when the hotel's security office called police at 4:30 a.m. The players had an 11 p.m. curfew on Wednesday.

Medical tests were conducted but results were not expected until next week, Warner said.

A report will be submitted to the Maricopa County attorney's office to determine if there is sufficient evidence to file charges, Warner said.

Roberson was not with Kansas State players at a pep rally Thursday afternoon.

The senior from Baytown, Texas, needs 67 yards to become the third player in NCAA Division I history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 in a season.

[mountaineer]

Maybe he should be benched for violating curfew, then, since he may be presumed innocent of committing a crime. I'm guessing those rules are only for third-stringers, though, when it comes to D-I, bowl games and the like.

[Dante3]

No woman deserves to be raped, Some sick people just want to see their words on the Internet or disrupt FR and thus they will argue all kinds of nonsense.

In any case, Ell should sit out the game or it sends a bad message that some people are above the rules.

It wouldn't surprise me too much if a nerd like this Weiser guy will claim that the university investigated and found no crime and no curfew was broken -- the curfew being 11 a.m.

[showme_the_Glory]

He has prison to consider.

Do we get to play the gaurds????

[af_vet_1981]

The Longest Yard

[CONSERVE]

If the same things happened to OSU I'd have to say sit the QB.

That could be a blessing in Ohio States case

[Hildy]

Very original.

[NeonKnight]

The Scoop:

There have been NO charges filed, No arrests made, and nobody here knows anything about the actual circumstances.

Elle will not start. Coach Snyder has determined that punishment for breaking curfew will be that Elle will not play in the first quarter. Seems like a fair punishment....unless you didn't start anyway, in which case not being allowed to play would be appropriate.

[WatchOutForSnakes]

Apparently if you are good there is no punishment for breaking curfew. Roberson started. Snyder is setting a good example for young people out there. Apparently winning is more important to Snyder than anything else. He obviously has no integrity and Kansas St. can keep him as far as I'm concerned.

[NeonKnight]

Well you are right...sort of. If you are the best, shouldn't you reap the rewards of being the best? That is the lesson I would put forth to my children (if I had any)

Work harder than everyone else, be better than them, and life will quitely (or in this case not so quitely) reward you.

[WatchOutForSnakes]

Well that is a strange way to look at it but in this day and age it probably works.

[NeonKnight]

Well, maybe I was a little too strong in my defense of the man. I don't personally consider staying out till wee hours of the night a couple of days before the biggest game of his life a sign that he is more dedicated than the lowliest of his teammates, but until charges are filed, or arrests made, this is basically a team issue. How do you think his teammates would vote??? Even knowing that they would not recieve the same treatment.

[NeonKnight]

My bad....Elle started.

[rwfromkansas]

He won't be charged.

There is not even the slightest bit of evidence that it was forced sex, according to the police themselves.

Not even the slightest.

[rwfromkansas]

Well, since the police say there is just no evidence of anything but consensual sex now, I would bet he won't be charged either.

[rwfromkansas]

I was shocked and bothered that he started.

However, Snyder is not a bad guy. He does have integrity.

I simply can't believe he would start Ell unless he heard from police that the woman's story was not believable.

If I was the coach, a false report like that would make me angry enough to kind of give a pass to the curfew violation, if that even occurred (wonder if the woman lied about the time, too?)

[Dante3]

According to one report, Ell admitted it occurred. As for being charged, they have to wait for the DNA.

OSU was prepared for Ell. Kansas might have been better off starting another QB. During the first three quarters Ell looked absolutely inept.

[rwfromkansas]

True (I didn't even really watch the game except just to catch the status here and there.....not a big fan believe it or not).

I do wish they would have started someone else....doesn't send a good message about breaking curfew. And honestly, Snyder always seemed like a decent guy to me. Maybe he knows something about the case we don't or something...or maybe I was wrong about him having character.

It also doesn't send a message that sex before marriage should be frowned upon to start him. If I was the coach, I would not have started him for his decisiont to be promiscuous alone. Yeah, he is going to a secular school, but I would want some higher standards still. And it is clear this guy thought he was hot stuff and could have sex and break curfew like he was somebody special. I hate arrogance like that...

[Bikers4Bush]

Depending on the situation that's true.

As it turned out though he did allright.

[rwfromkansas]

Alright....no charges have been filed, by unanimous agreement of the sexual assault division in Maricopa County. The press reported that they said in a statement there was no way Roberson would have known she did not consent...but did not elaborate as to why that is the case.

K-State's coach released a statement which shows a fairly severe punishment for Roberson and the other ones who violated curfew.

1. Community service
2. No ring for playing in the Fiesta Bowl.
3. LOSS OF SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER...all of it.

Snyder says in his statement that he actually was going to suspend Roberson and the other players who violated the rules so they would not play in the game at all, but ended up not doing so due to information that came out the day of the game from the police department.

Here is his open letter, which I thought you would want to see:

Statement from Kansas State University Athletics Department


An Open Letter from Kansas State Head Football Coach Bill Snyder

I am extending a heartfelt and sincere apology to the people of Kansas State, our community of Manhattan, and the entire state of Kansas for the anguish and suffering endured by those who genuinely care about our football program and university. The incident which took place during our stay in Scottsdale has been a painful experience for our administration, our faculty, our student body, our community, and, certainly, for all of us closely associated with Kansas State football.

I extend the same apology to the administration of the Fiesta Bowl, its sponsors, the Scottsdale Plaza Resort and the people of “The Valley of the Sun” all of whom received us so very well and extended such gracious hospitality to our travel party and all visiting K-Staters.

Please understand that it has not been my intent to withhold information from the media, but to cooperate with the legal process.

As we now know, charges will not be filed and the Maricopa County Attorney has stated that no criminal incident occurred. It is unfortunate that this damaging information was released prior to a thorough and complete investigation, which ultimately concluded there was no validity to the allegation of sexual assault or sexual abuse. The fact that the initial charges were found to be erroneous in many cases will fall on deaf ears.

As most of the people in our local and regional media understand, over the past 15 years in our program the violation of team rules and the punishments for those violations were always kept in house (within the “family”). Because this violation of team rules by our starting quarterback, Ell Roberson, became a national news story, I have decided in this one instance to make the consequences of violating those team rules public.
In accordance with our policy of the past 15 years, I then decided that the consequences for Ell Roberson and those players who had violated team regulations would include:

1. The loss of scholarship aid (of approximately $8,481.00) for the spring semester.

2. Not receiving a Fiesta Bowl ring

3. Volunteer public service addressing youth groups within the community.

In addition to these consequences, Ell Roberson has already paid a severe price for his indiscretion- a price far greater than perhaps any other student in a similar situation would have paid.

I want all K-Staters to know that this incident has hit at the core of my value system. I do not condone any form of sexual abuse or, for that matter, sexual activity for young, unmarried males or females. I have three daughters and three granddaughters. Each of whom I pray to be safe and secure and to carry strong moral values that coincide with those of our family.

At the time of the incident, I made what was seemingly an easy decision: to suspend the young men from our program and send them home that evening. I was at peace with that decision and shared it with our coaching staff the next morning.

However, later in the day, I was provided with information from local authorities and an outside investigation which led us to the conclusion that, with complete assurance, no crime of any nature was committed by any player in our program. An indiscretion, yes; a violation of the law, no. At that time it became apparent that the decision to suspend players did not seem consistent with other decisions made within the program.

Timing, then, became an issue. I had one day in which to make what I could pray and hope would be the appropriate decision. This proved to be the most agonizing and painful event in my entire professional career.

As I anguished over this decision I was well aware that I do not have the capacity to regulate the decisions that 22 year olds make regarding their moral and sexual behaviors which are within the limits of the law.

The question arose: would it be better not to start the young men? The idea of allowing them to play, but not start the game and sit out for a series or two seemed merely a token consequence. I believed the price of this irresponsibility should be far greater. All the while, I was well aware that any decision I made would be met with criticism.

I cannot adequately convey to you how badly I feel for those within the Wildcat family who, through their allegiance to our university and athletic program, are suffering immensely. A day has not gone by that I have not prayed that the Lord would ease the pain for our players, coaches, staff, the athletic department, the university faculty, student body, and administration, and the remarkable K-State fan base throughout the country. The accusation that was falsely made in this incident will live within each of us for a long time to come.

I am grateful for the outpouring of support and the continued faith that we are diligently attempting to advance the proper values to young people within our program and that we are teaching life’s lessons in a manner which provides them with a venue to mature and grow toward a successful future.

I apologize from the depth of my soul that this situation ever took place.

Bill Snyder
Head Football Coach
Kansas State University