Team Speed Kills - Vanderbilt Kicks Five Players Off Football Team After Alleged Sexual AssaultSports are just better in the SEChttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52580/tsk_fav.png2013-09-17T19:36:25-04:00http://www.teamspeedkills.com/rss/stream/42401272013-09-17T19:36:25-04:002013-09-17T19:36:25-04:00DA: ACS Did Not Move Assault Victim; An Apology
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<figcaption>Streeter Lecka</figcaption>
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<p>Text messages from Chris Boyd suggesting the Vanderbilt quarterback moved the victim were mistaken, a spokeswoman for the local DA says</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116266/chris-boyd">Chris Boyd</a> being kicked off the team turned out to be only some of news connected to the alleged sexual assault at Vanderbilt released today. In another development, prosecutors are now saying that text messages from Boyd that appeared to suggest Vanderbilt quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels helped move the victim were wrong.</p>
<p><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130917%2FSPORTS0602%2F309170125%2FProsecutors-say-Vanderbilt-QB-Austyn-Carta-Samuels-wrongly-identified-rape-case%3Fodyssey%3Dmod%257Cbreaking%257Ctext%257CFRONTPAGE%26sf17313265%3D1%26nclick_check%3D1&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F9%2F17%2F4742478%2Faustyn-carta-samuels-sexual-assault-not-involved" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In a statement</a>, Susan Niland -- a spokeswoman for the Davidson County District Attorney General's Office -- said those texts (which were read in an open court hearing) were mistaken. (HT: <a href="http://www.anchorofgold.com/2013/9/17/4742334/austyn-carta-samuels-wrongly-identified-in-chris-boyds-texts-not">Anchor of Gold</a>)</p>
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<p>One text from Boyd to former student Corey Batey read in part ‘me Carta and Vanderwal (sic) and Vandenburg helped us move her out of the hallway’, referring to the victim who was lying in the hall of the dorm. However, based upon the evidence collected to date, Boyd wrongly identified student Austyn Carta-Samuels as someone who participated in helping move the victim. ... Vanderwal (sic) and another student were involved in moving the victim from the hall to a dorm room, but that act alone does not constitute a crime.</p>
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<p>The statement might remove Carta-Samuels from being at the scene at all and also appears to go to great lengths to point out that van der Wal's actions that night were not wrong. Prosecutors had already said that no further charges were expected, so it's not necessarily a surprise that he is not expected to face any repercussions at this point.</p>
<p>The major question remains why prosecutors allowed the story to sit over the weekend and through Monday and part of Tuesday without correcting the record, let alone why he or she wouldn't correct the record after essentially placing Carta-Samuels as the scene in open court. Some law enforcement officials and prosecutors are loath to release any information they don't absolutely have to -- and often for good reason -- but the upshot of that sometimes is that you allow misinformation or partial information to rule the day.</p>
<p>That was a problem in this case. And while we're not a major publication and our readership is very small, there is a possibility that people came across <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/13/4727586/vanderbilt-investigation-chris-boyd-pleads-guilty-austyn-carta-samuels/in/4240127">one of our earlier posts</a> and drew the wrong conclusions from it. In fact, we drew the logical conclusion from something read during open court -- that it was true unless told otherwise -- and that conclusion was wrong. Understandable, perhaps, but still wrong.</p>
<p>So for passing along misinformation that wrongly implicated someone who was innocent in this case, regardless of the source, I am sorry. We strive to always give as much information and analysis as we can with our readers, and the information we had at the time indicated that Austyn Carta-Samuels helped move the victim. The information was wrong at the time, so we were wrong at the time, and it very well could have caused people to draw conclusions that were unfair and unfortunate.</p>
<p>I apologize to Austyn Carta-Samuels for any harm caused to his reputation and to our readers for my part in spreading this. I try to be extraordinarily careful in cases like this, and I know Year2 does as well. Sometimes, you can't be too careful in life; sometimes, every safeguard you can think of won't do the job. And when that happens, your only option is to own up to it and apologize.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/17/4742478/austyn-carta-samuels-sexual-assault-not-involvedBrandon Larrabee2013-09-17T17:05:43-04:002013-09-17T17:05:43-04:00Chris Boyd Kicked Off Vanderbilt Football Team
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<figcaption>Stacy Revere</figcaption>
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<p>The university announces in a press release that the wide receiver is off the Commodores' football team</p> <p>There were plenty of questions, after wide receiver Chris Boyd <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/13/4727586/vanderbilt-investigation-chris-boyd-pleads-guilty-austyn-carta-samuels/in/4240127">pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor</a> for his actions following the alleged rape of a woman involving four teammates, about whether Boyd would be able to remain on the team at Vanderbilt. Those questions were <a href="http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/09/boyd/">answered resoundingly Tuesday</a> by the university.</p>
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<p>Vanderbilt’s athletic administration, in conjunction with its head football coach, today dismissed Chris Boyd from the university’s football team and athletic program. The action came after an ongoing review that included information disclosed during a hearing Sept. 13 in Davidson County Criminal Court.</p>
<p>The review concluded that Mr. Boyd’s admitted actions are clearly inconsistent with the high standards of behavior expected of our student-athletes.</p>
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<p>Boyd allegedly tried to help orchestrate a cover-up of the incident by deleting video evidence of the assault and ordering one player to "tell your roommate he didn’t see (expletive)," according to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130913%2FPROMO%2F130913006%3Fnclick_check%3D1&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F9%2F17%2F4742070%2Fchris-boyd-dismissed-vanderbilt-guilty-plea" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">very graphic texts</a> revealed during a court hearing.</p>
<p>The wide receiver becomes the <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/8/16/4629354/vanderbilt-rape-investigation-chris-boyd-indicted/in/4240127">highest-profile and most significant player</a> kicked off the team in the scandal, which has tarnished Vanderbilt's reputation as "different" than other SEC programs. It's hard to think that Boyd could have returned to the team after the release of the stomach-turning text messages, but the possibility was out there until the school said otherwise.</p>
<p>With any luck for Vanderbilt and those of us who have to write about it, this will be one of the last steps the university will have to take with regard to the allegations. Already, the lives of several people have been irrevocably changed, most significantly the victim, who should remain in your thoughts and prayers.</p>
<p>The immediate fallout is over. But for her and several others affected by this crime, the story will never truly be over.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/17/4742070/chris-boyd-dismissed-vanderbilt-guilty-pleaBrandon Larrabee2013-09-13T15:02:31-04:002013-09-13T15:02:31-04:00Boyd Pleads Guilty
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<p>Things continue to get worse for Vanderbilt in the sexual assault case that has rocked the program</p> <p>CORRECTION: The headline and this story have been altered to reflect the fact that text messages seeming to implicate another player in being at the scene during the aftermath of the assault <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/17/4742478/austyn-carta-samuels-sexual-assault-not-involved/in/4240127">were incorrect</a>. I apologize for the error</p>
<p>Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Boyd pleaded guilty to a lesser charge than <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/8/16/4629354/vanderbilt-rape-investigation-chris-boyd-indicted">the accessory charge he faced</a> for helping cover up a sexual assault that has rocked the football program.</p>
<p>Some of the text messages read in court as part of these proceedings could deepen the black eye Vanderbilt already received from this case. Boyd's status is still unclear at this point. Stay tuned.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/13/4727586/vanderbilt-investigation-chris-boyd-pleads-guilty-austyn-carta-samuelsBrandon Larrabee2013-08-16T18:29:58-04:002013-08-16T18:29:58-04:00Vanderbilt Investigation: Chris Boyd Indicted
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<figcaption>Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The worst suspension for the football team yet was sparked by the latest indictment, as the cloud over the Commodores' 2013 season grew even darker</p> <p>Exactly a week after <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/8/9/4607086/vanderbilt-football-investigation-rape-charges/in/4240127">four Vanderbilt players were charged with rape</a> and other crimes after an investigation, a fifth player faces charges related to the incident. And unlikely the other four players -- who would largely be adding depth to the roster -- this one would hurt Vanderbilt more from a football perspective, though that's really the least important part of this.</p>
<p>First things first: Wide receiver <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116266/chris-boyd">Chris Boyd</a> has been suspended from the team after <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130816%2FNEWS%2F308160123%2FVanderbilt-WR-Chris-Boyd-two-more-men-indicted-Vanderbilt-rape-case&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F8%2F16%2F4629354%2Fvanderbilt-rape-investigation-chris-boyd-indicted" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">being indicted for "accessory after the fact,"</a> which means he's not being charged with being part of the rape but is being charged with later helping those players who allegedly did rape the victim.</p>
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<p>Police accused Boyd of essentially taking part in an attempted cover up of the sexual assault through advice to certain defendants indicted last week as part of the ongoing investigation.</p>
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<p>The university, as you might expect, is being rather circumspect about the issue at the moment. <a href="http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/08/statement-boyd/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vanderbilt-news+%28Vanderbilt+News%29">Its statement about Boyd's suspension</a> is not exactly terse, but it's also very guarded and lawyerly.</p>
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<p>All of these allegations, including those brought today, are deeply troubling, and we take them very seriously. ...</p>
<p>We continue to respect that at this point in the criminal justice process no determination of guilt has been made.</p>
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<p>For now, Boyd is <a href="https://twitter.com/brianwilson17/status/368478514262982656">the only player</a> aside from the original four to be indicted in the case. (Two others who were charged Friday are not on the team. There were always rumors that more Vanderbilt students might be involved, and the trail might end here -- but it also <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130816%2FNEWS%2F308160123%2FVanderbilt-WR-Chris-Boyd-two-more-men-indicted-Vanderbilt-rape-case&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F8%2F16%2F4629354%2Fvanderbilt-rape-investigation-chris-boyd-indicted" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">might not</a>.</p>
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<p>"Today's indictment reflects the hundreds of law enforcement hours that have gone into this case thus far, and the absolute seriousness of this entire matter," Chief Steve Anderson said in a statement. "We are looking at all persons who may have been involved in this event, before, during and after the fact. <b>Additional charges cannot be ruled out.</b>" [Emphasis added]<b><br></b></p>
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<p>Getting to the football element: This is the worst news yet for the Commodores as far as on-the-field ramifications. Boyd was the team's second-leading receiver in 2012, catching 50 passes for 774 yards and five touchdowns. And Boyd's 15.5 yard-per-catch average was the highest of any returning player. He and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116267/jordan-matthews">Jordan Matthews</a> were the only players with more than 12 catches on the year.</p>
<p>Add his potential loss for any stretch of time at the beginning of the season to the need to break in Austyn Carta-Samuels as quarterback, and you've got the potential for some real problems for the Vanderbilt air attack. And then add in the fact that Vanderbilt will face two SEC opponents in the first three weeks of the season.</p>
<p>The situation was already terrible for the victim, the players involved and the reputation of James Franklin's program. Now, it's getting increasingly dire for Vanderbilt on the field as well, and the best hope might be for it to simply not get any worse.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/8/16/4629354/vanderbilt-rape-investigation-chris-boyd-indictedBrandon Larrabee2013-08-09T17:57:06-04:002013-08-09T17:57:06-04:00Former Vanderbilt Players Charged with Rape
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<p>The four ex-Commodores involved in a sex-crimes investigation were indicted Friday, bringing the tragic situation one step closer to its conclusion</p> <p>The charges in the sex-crimes investigation that has rocked Vanderbilt football were formally handed down Friday against four players who have since been kicked off the team. And as you might expect, the incident was <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130809%2FNEWS03%2F308090129%2F2082&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F8%2F9%2F4607086%2Fvanderbilt-football-investigation-rape-charges" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">about as ugly as it could get</a>.</p>
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<p>Four former Vanderbilt football players have each been charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery, Metro police said Friday.</p>
<p>Brandon Vandenburg, 20, from California; Brandon Eric Banks, 19, from Maryland; and JaBorian "Tip" McKenzie, 18 from Mississippi and Cory Batey, 19, of Nashville, were charged in the indictment. Vandenburg was also charged with one count of tampering with evidence and one count of unlawful photography.</p>
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<p>There aren't too many details in the report, except that the woman was unconscious at the time of the alleged rape. And while prosecutors aren't elaborating on the photography charge, it's not hard to figure out what it likely entails.</p>
<p>According to The Tennesseean, Batey is under arrest and Banks' lawyer is already working on getting him to turn himself in. The other two players are likely to follow suit.</p>
<p>There's not much more to say right now. If the charges are true, it's obvious that James Franklin made the right decision to dismiss the four players from the team last month, but that's been obvious for some time now. The details are simply that -- details, giving us a fuller picture of what Franklin was looking at when he made his decision.</p>
<p>Please keep the victim in your thoughts and prayers. This kind of incident can alter someone's life for years to come, and recovery is often long and uneven. The football players alleged to have taken part in the incident will see their lives turned upside down too -- but if the charges issued Friday are true, they made their choices. They're just not the only ones who have to live with them.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/8/9/4607086/vanderbilt-football-investigation-rape-chargesBrandon Larrabee2013-06-29T09:23:51-04:002013-06-29T09:23:51-04:00Vanderbilt Dismisses Four Football Players
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<p>Vanderbilt <a target="_blank" href="http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/06/four-vanderbilt-university-football-players-dismissed-from-team-suspended-from-the-university/">has dismissed</a> four players from the team in the wake of the ongoing investigation into alleged sex crimes on campus. The university has not named the players, but they are suspended from the university as well and are not allowed on campus.</p>
<p>Here is the school's statement in full:</p>
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<p>Four members of the Vanderbilt University football team have been dismissed from the team for violation of team rules.</p>
<p>The four students have also been placed on interim suspension from the university, effective immediately, pending further investigation and/or a hearing. They may not return to campus for any purpose without explicit permission from the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt first reported the matter that led to the dismissals to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and is fully cooperating with the Metro Police investigation.</p>
<p>"The well-being of our students is of paramount concern to us, and we will not tolerate any actions that threaten student safety and security," said Beth Fortune, Vanderbilt vice chancellor for public affairs.</p>
<p>The university will comment further when appropriate.</p>
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https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/6/29/4477124/vanderbilt-dismisses-four-football-playersDavid Wunderlich2013-06-28T19:37:38-04:002013-06-28T19:37:38-04:00More Students Linked to Vanderbilt Investigation?
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<p>There's still a lot we don't know about this, but it's getting worse for Vanderbilt</p> <p>As if the sex-crimes investigation at Vanderbilt that resulted in the suspension of four football players isn't bad enough for Vanderbilt, it now looks like the case could include even more student-athletes. According to WKRN in Nashville, which is very insistent that it was the first to cover the story, <a href="http://www.wkrn.com/story/22717402/metro-sex-crimes-unit-investigating-matter-at-vanderbilt">six more Vanderbilt athletes are "under investigation."</a></p>
<p>Now, we're going to be very careful about any kind of speculation around here, because we flat don't know what's going on. But if this is true, the careful wording here could indicate either a very cautious reporter or the possibility that some of those athletes are not football players.</p>
<p>Either way, it now looks like whatever happened was likely very horrific, and it looks like the damage to Vanderbilt's reputation could be immense. Again, <i>if this is true</i>. We can't stress that enough. We don't even know for a fact what "it" is, but if it involves a proven crime and 10 student-athletes, there's going to be a steep price to pay.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/6/28/4476128/report-six-more-student-athletes-vanderbilt-sex-crimes-investigationBrandon Larrabee2013-06-28T19:06:51-04:002013-06-28T19:06:51-04:00Vanderbilt Suspends Four; Sex Crime Investigated
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<figcaption>Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The unnamed players could be tied to an ongoing sex-crimes investigation at the university in what could be an enormous black eye for Vanderbilt it it's true</p> <p>We want to be very, very careful with this, because right now it's nothing more than an educated guess that these two things are related. But there's a confluence of circumstances right now that could be very bad for Vanderbilt football and even worse for the victim of what is apparently an alleged crime at Vanderbilt. (Yeah, qualifier overload, but necessary.)</p>
<p>First, Vanderbilt dropped <a href="http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/06/four-vanderbilt-university-football-players-suspended/">this little bombshell</a> on the Interwebs. It automatically screamed "not a garden-variety violation of team rules" when it included this sentence:</p>
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<p>Because of Vanderbilt’s ongoing investigation, the university will offer further comment when appropriate.</p>
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<p>"Ongoing investigation" doesn't suggest a harmless violation of curfew (not that such a thing is possible in the summer) or something that just requires running up and down some stairs. It suggests something a bit more serious. And then <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20130628%2FNEWS03%2F306280132%2FFour-Vanderbilt-football-players-suspended-amid-sex-crimes-investigation%3Fodyssey%3Dmod%257Cbreaking%257Ctext%257CFRONTPAGE%26sf14457699%3D1&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teamspeedkills.com%2F2013%2F6%2F28%2F4476032%2Fvanderbilt-suspension-sex-crime-investigation" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">news of something a lot more serious broke</a>:</p>
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<p>"I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit began an investigation on Wednesday in regard to a matter that was alleged to have occurred at a Vanderbilt University dormitory," said Don Aaron, spokesman for Metro police. "Our sex crimes detectives became involved as the result of a notification to us on Wednesday from Vanderbilt University police. The investigation remains very much in progress."</p>
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<p>Aaron did tell The Tennesseean that the two incidents are "related," whatever that means.</p>
<p>We don't know who these players are, which could determine how bad this could be for Vanderbilt, but we do know that the victim of this crime has already gone through something that is more horrible than anyone who has not gone through it can imagine. (Assuming, of course, that this all is true.) Whatever you're thinking or praying about this case, make sure some of those thoughts and prayers go toward the victim.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/6/28/4476032/vanderbilt-suspension-sex-crime-investigationBrandon Larrabee