I don't know, but I stay out of legal issues. The video on line must not have been the entire thing then. Which makes sense, they would want to protect the victims. I guess we just have to trust the judges and coaches.
An article on this subject in today's Vindy:
Steubenville's Richmond gets an opportunity at YSU
Former Big Red player Richmond walk-on defensive lineman with Penguins
Published: 8/3/17 @ 12:10
By Brian Dzenis
bdzenis@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
A teen involved in one of Ohio high school football’s biggest scandals will be a member of Youngstown State’s football team this fall.
Ma’lik Richmond, one of two former Steubenville football players found delinquent in connection with the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl during a 2012 party, will play defensive end for the Penguins.
The incident, captured and shared on teens’ cellphones, brought national attention to Steubenville amid a firestorm of protests.
YSU sports information director Trevor Parks said Richmond enrolled at YSU as a student in August 2016 before walking onto the team in January.
YSU President Jim Tressel said he was aware Richmond had enrolled at the school as a student, but was not consulted about him joining the football team.
Tressel said he views second chances as something “that’s important for everyone.” If Richmond — or any student — handles their academics while being a model citizen — there is a place for him at YSU.
“He’s been here [for a year] and I haven’t heard of any issues with him,” Tressel said. “What’s important now is the future, my expectations for him are the same as I would have for any student.”
YSU athletic director Ron Strollo and head football coach Bo Pelini have not commented on Richmond being on the team.
When Richmond was released from a juvenile detention facility in 2014, he played his senior season with the Big Red. After graduating, he attended California University of Pennsylvania and Potomac State College of West Virginia University. Potomac State does not have a football team.
A spokesman for California said Richmond enrolled for the spring 2016 semester and left the university “in good standing.” He did not play for the Vulcans’ football team.
Richmond, along with Rig Red teammate Trent Mays, received the juvenile equivalent of a guilty verdict for raping the victim while she was unconscious at a party. Richmond served a year in a juvenile detention facility, while Mays served two. Mays also was charged with the dissemination of child pornography for posting pictures of the girl on social media.
The case lead to the resignation of Steubenville’s superintendent. The school’s IT director faced charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing and perjury and took a plea deal to serve 90 days in jail. A volunteer coach received a six-month suspended sentence along with community service and fines.
Upon Mays’ release in 2015, he attended Hocking College and played football. Hocking’s president, Betty Young, wrote a campus-wide email about the matter, as reported in The Dayton Daily News.
“Second chances do not excuse or defend previous behavior. There are a lot of second-chance stories at every community college,” Young wrote. “Trenton’s story is just one. His path will be challenging, but many of our students face challenges and they overcome them to reach success. It is up to him to determine what to do with this opportunity.”
Mays later transferred to Central State.
As of November 2014, Richmond’s status as a sex offender was downgraded to tier 1 from tier 2 — a lower-risk distinction — according to multiple media reports at the time. He has to register his address with the appropriate sheriff’s office. Only tier III offenders require notification being sent to nearby residents or schools where they live.
Richmond is not listed in online sex offender databases. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department — the jurisdiction where he was found delinquent — juvenile offenders are never listed online, even after they turn 18.
