OT- Tony Washington in His Own Words

Ill-yasova · Post #1 » by **Ill-yasova** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:13 am

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5497517
It's a sad and unfortunate story. That said, I'm not sure how exactly to feel about it. On one hand he had a very rough upbringing but on the other hand he did something so obviously morally wrong that it seems like it can't be excused.

WeeksNMeeks · Post #2 » by **WeeksNMeeks** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:24 am

It's not about being excused. It's about being forgiven. I'm not a religious person by any means, but I think that everyone should be forgiven. There is an excuse for his behavior (rough up bringing, etc.), but that reasoning doesn't excuse his actions. It does, however, help us understand why he might have done it, helping us realize that he probably wasn't in his right mind. What he did was wrong, but he's forgiven.

Ill-yasova · Post #3 » by **Ill-yasova** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:31 am

WeeksNMeeks wrote:It's not about being excused. It's about being forgiven. I'm not a religious person by any means, but I think that everyone should be forgiven. There is an excuse for his behavior (rough up bringing, etc.), but that reasoning doesn't excuse his actions. It does, however, help us understand why he might have done it, helping us realize that he probably wasn't in his right mind. What he did was wrong, but he's forgiven.

I agree with your overall sentiment and it's really not my place to judge but when you think about what he did.... I mean, lot's of guys have sisters but how many make the same mistake Washington did?

That said he does seem remorseful and he seems like a decent guy overall.

bigkurty · Post #4 » by **bigkurty** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:01 am

I feel for the guy. To have to deal with a lifetime of hardship and ruined dreams over something when he was so young is tough. We all have made mistakes when we were young and while most of us have never done something considered as morally wrong by today's societal standards, I just think he isn't getting fair treatment. I do understand the position of the teams and it's also why Ruben Patterson disappeared off of the NBA map. Logistically it's just tough and teams don't want tp deal with the politics. If his sister says it was consensual and she wasn't charged, how is it fair to him. If it were up to me, I think he deserves clemency. I am not sure teams will give him a chance if that were to happen but I believe he deserves that chance at least. I mean seriously, it has been so many years with no sign of being a repeat offender who is prone to continue doing similar things. Give the guy a break already.

As a side note, I also find it interesting that back in the day when the Romans ruled, these types of things were extremely common and not all that shunned upon. Perception of sex in society has definitely changed quite a bit over the years. Many of our early presidents in this country had many a mistress or even raped their own slaves and that wasn't even considered that bad either back then for a more recent look into how the times have changed.

MartyConlonOnTheRun · Post #5 » by **MartyConlonOnTheRun** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 7:21 am

It is extremely f-uped, but i don't think he should be punished his whole life for it. Besides it being extremely weird since it's his sister, how many 16 have relations with 15 year olds, especially in low income areas. If he took advantage of a sister that was like 8, it would be a totally different story.

Legally speaking, how come the sister isn't charged since they were both minors? Is it precedent that only the oldest gets prosecuted or does it depend on the situation?

skitch815 · Post #6 » by **skitch815** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:31 pm

MartyConlonOnTheRun wrote:It is extremely f-uped, but i don't think he should be punished his whole life for it. Besides it being extremely weird since it's his sister, how many 16 have relations with 15 year olds, especially in low income areas. If he took advantage of a sister that was like 8, it would be a totally different story.

Legally speaking, how come the sister isn't charged since they were both minors? Is it precedent that only the oldest gets prosecuted or does it depend on the situation?

Toward the end of the story they say that, even though Washington and his sister both deny it, he used force and held her down.

The bigger question for me is how did a court allow a statement made by a 15 year old who had been interrogated for 4-6 hours without either a parent or lawyer present? That should have never been allowed and this statement seems to be the main cause of his conviction.

MartyConlonOnTheRun · Post #7 » by **MartyConlonOnTheRun** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:50 pm

Yeah, we will never know the whole story...not that I even want to know. The story is extremely slanted in favor of Washington, but you really don't know if it was shady cops or just Washington's side of the story.

Post #8 » by **humanrefutation** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 7:25 pm

I think the bigger issue here is how people like Washington are treated by the sex offender registry in the same way child molesters or violent rapists are treated. There is no distinction. It's really quite troubling.

People like him shouldn't have to register with the sex offender registry. People like him shouldn't be tried as an adult and sent to jail. People like him should be treated like other juvenile cases - have their records sealed.