Replies

1. What does talking about her abilities as a player have to do with rape? Why is it insensitive? One has nothing to do with the other.
Barnett explicitly connected her ability to what happened to her: "It was obvious that Katie was not very good. She was awful. You know what guys do - they respect your ability." And in Barnett's world, apparently "what guys do" when they don't respect your ability is rape you if you're a girl.

2. College football..... 99.99999% men. If you're gonna play with the boys and try to be one of the boys, you're gonna get talked to like you're one of the boys. They sometime use foul language and call people names. GET OVER IT. Oh, I forgot, that's not PC.
Are you reading the same story the rest of us are reading? Rape is not "foul language," nor is complaining about it "PC."

3. Why don't these women report the rapes when they happen? When did we become of society of guilty until proven innocent? That evidence has no value and accusation has all value?
One reason women don't report rape could be because when they do they get the kind of treatment you seem to want to give them, telling them to stop whining about "being called names." Who is (or at least was) the most powerful person at Colorado University, if not the whole state? Not the chancellor or the governor, but the head football coach. When he tells a woman that he will back his player "100%" if she follows through with a criminal complaint, her choice is to either shut up or risk getting screwed again.

Sorry for the double post. Slow server, quick trigger finger.

1. What does talking about her abilities as a player have to do with rape? Why is it insensitive? One has nothing to do with the other.
Barnett explicitly connected her ability to what happened to her: "It was obvious that Katie was not very good. She was awful. You know what guys do - they respect your
ability."

"explicitly"? See post #65 for your edification.

And in Barnett's world, apparently "what guys do" when they don't respect your ability is rape you if you're a girl.

Wow! That's another leap. I know it pained you, but I sure am glad you put the words "apparently" in your response.

Your other replies are equally disingenuous.

New Sex Allegation Emerges at Colorado

By JOHN MOSSMAN
AP Sports Writer

Colorado football coach Gary Barnett was suspended for his comments about a female player who accused a teammate of rape, the latest blow to an already-troubled football program. A sixth sex allegation also was being investigated.
Barnett was placed on paid leave Wednesday night by university president Elizabeth Hoffman, who also said she was "utterly distressed" over comments Barnett made in a 2001 police report filed by another woman who said a football player raped her.

The suspension came one day after he criticized the performance of former Colorado kicker Katie Hnida, who said she was raped by a teammate four years ago. The coach called her an "awful" player and said she couldn't "kick the ball through the uprights."

On Thursday, police said they were investigating the sixth sexual assault allegation involving a football player. Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said the alleged assault happened in August 2002, but would not discuss details.

Barnett, 57, will be on leave while an independent committee investigates a burgeoning list of allegations involving the football program, including rapes, recruiting parties featuring alcohol and sex, escort services and hiring strippers.

Barnett said he disagreed with Hoffman's decision but apologized and accepted it, calling himself "a team player." He also said the police report contained some inaccuracies.

Hnida, who now plays for the University of New Mexico, last year became the first woman ever to score points in a Division I-A football game.

Ryan Johanningmeier, who was a team captain while Hnida played at Colorado, said Thursday some teammates could be "a bit nasty."

"However, we all get called names. I got called names," he told ABC-TV's "Good Morning America."

Johanningmeier said that when one player's comments about Hnida got too personal, Barnett "gave this guy a pretty good reprimand in front of the team, reminded us once again that this was a player on the team who needs to be treated with respect. A lot of it stopped at that point, from what I saw."

Hoffman called Barnett's Tuesday comments "extremely inappropriate and insensitive" remarks were the main reason Barnett was put on administrative leave, Hoffman said.

"Rape is a horrific allegation and it should be taken seriously," she said.

After spending much of Wednesday commenting about Barnett's remarks, Hoffman learned police had released the report that quoted an unidentified woman saying Barnett told her he "would back his player 100 percent" if rape charges were pursued. The woman declined to file charges.

Hoffman said she learned of the woman's rape allegation recently, but it was unclear when Barnett first knew of it.

The accusations involving the football program that have surfaced over the past three weeks stem from civil lawsuits filed by three women against the school. They said they were raped by players or recruits at or after an off-campus party in December 2001.

No assault charges have been filed in those cases, but Boulder County prosecutor Mary Keenan said in a deposition for one of the lawsuits that she believes the football program uses alcohol and sex to entice recruits.

CU formed an independent investigative committee this week to look into the accusations, with the goal of issuing a report on April 30. Hoffman also said she would hire an administrator to oversee athletics, reporting directly to her and Chancellor Richard Byyny.

Hnida told Sports Illustrated that she was assaulted in the summer of 2000 at the home of a teammate while attending Colorado. Asked why she didn't tell police, she said she was afraid of the player and didn't want a "media mess."

Barnett later that day snapped at a reporter who asked him about her abilities. "It was obvious Katie was not very good. She was awful," he said. "Katie was not only a girl, she was terrible. OK? There's no other way to say it."

During a brief news conference in Boulder late Wednesday, Barnett apologized "for answering that question in a manner where I must have come across as insensitive."

He said his remarks were taken out of context or misinterpreted.

Hoffman, who was not present for Barnett's press conference, said the coach "was not apologetic" when she discussed his remarks with him earlier. "It was my feeling ... that he did not understand the seriousness of the comments he had made the day before," Hoffman said.

Byyny said an interim head coach would be named, probably within 48 hours, and most likely would be an assistant coach currently on the staff.

Gov. Bill Owens agreed with Hoffman's decision.

"In view of the serious allegations concerning the CU football program, the action taken this evening by President Hoffman is both appropriate and necessary," Owens said in a statement.

CU athletic director Richard Tharp also supported the decision to place Barnett on leave.

Barnett was hired to coach Colorado's football team five years ago with the goal of ending an era of loose recruiting practices and return the team to national prominence.

He has led Colorado to a Big 12 Conference title and a BCS bowl game in his five seasons as head coach. But during the last two seasons, nine players were suspended for various violations of team rules, including curfew and behavior standards.

Barnett's contract runs through 2006.