Drae Bowles

So once again, we return to blaming a potwntial victim. That's just disgusting. Who gives a flying frog about texts? That doesn't matter one damn bit. Nor does gow much she drank. Or what she wore. Or where she was. If she said NO then it is RAPE evwn if she pulled a Lady Godiva in the middle of the strip.

When is no, no longer no?
 
True.
To be honest though, our fandom and the university itself is much larger than any individual employee.
If there is any incompetent or sinister members, I'd be willing to suffer the short term setbacks in trade for members worthy of their position.
And I'm not getting any younger. I need this turn around to happen sooner rather than later lol. But I could be patient to see it done right, I would rather be certain our wonderful ladies are as safe as possible.
My gut still says "it's all about the money" though.

"it's all about the money"
When did that happen?
 
I hate saying this but my daughter was all set to go to UT this fall and now we are seriously considering other options. Im sure this goes on at every campus though.

I'll just say this - I was a student from 74-78. Crazy fraternity parties and other parties were the norm then there and at other universities where my friends went. Alcohol, parties and sex on campus' around this country aren't new and aren't just at UT.

As long as I can remember, some guys would try to get girls drunk to see "how far they could get"... we girls would go in groups and designate non-drinkers to make sure no one "got taken advantage of". These are the situations I warned my daughter about - thankfully she listened.
 
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Why should a party in college be a place where women have to think "I shouldn't go, I might get raped"? There's a difference between getting a ton of cash and going to a bad part of town and going with friends to a party. Nobody is safe to walk through a bad neighborhood with a bunch of cash. Women are at ridiculously heightened risks of sexual assaults at parties. Apples to oranges.

Yep....it's simple....when young horndogs and young girls (some wearing skimpy outfits) get together using alcohol and drugs.....nothing moral happens. Judgement is impaired and self control goes out the window. Then there are some little girls who are gullible and never really been intoxicated and some use to fit in and then once they get lite....some turn into a different person. Im going to teach my daughter to stay away from these environments bc there is a high risk of bad choices that follow
 
I wouldn't be shocked if true, but we can't obviously dictate that as the truth but nonetheless a lot doesn't add up and that is not being UT biased.

I had 2 best friends in my college days both from different schools. They came for a party to my school- one male and one female and hooked up that night.

The next day I was with my male friend and he told me all about the occasion, no big deal, right? Well my other friend, the female, claimed to others she was raped.

Once I heard that I was furious bc I knew my best guy friend would never do that especially to someone i cared about. Turns out she was just ashamed and embarrassed about the affects alcohol had on her and how everyone knew she had a one night stand (which was out of character for her).

With the allegations of her flirting with AJ and texting him draws me to ponder if she felt the same things my friend did to claim she was "raped". If AJ did it then good riddance, but absolutely nothing has been proven and that is what's sad.

There has been so many times were these little girls make a mistake and do what everyone else is been trained to do...BLAME SOMEONE ELSE. The little girls character got raped by that alcohol.and SHE made a bad decision.
 
Perhaps so. But fortunately, the chicken sh*t was in Chicago and murder isn't my gig. Which is kind of my point. Texting flirtatious comments doesn't prove intent to engage in sex anymore than me telling that slimy scumsucking asshat that I would strangle his 6'4" 250 lb ass if he showed up on my porch indicates I planned to actually commit murder. If he had shown up at my door things might have been different--because of my husband--but I doubt it. Our intention was his arrest and conviction. Which we accomplished.

For all the good it did.

All I know for certain is that when I was single and dating, I texted flirtatious comments to guys. Doesn't mean I slept with them...or that they expected me to either.

Young people today can get pretty graphic with their texts. You honestly don't believe it's important that if she texted him "hey, let's hook up" then shows up at his door, that text has no pertinence? If you had shown up at the door of dude's house after texting, "I'm going to kill you", you don't think he could have had the police come and arrest you? Texts can very well play into what the young lady's intentions were, and what her state of mind was. Flirtatious comments are one thing, explicit comments are a whole other ball park, imo.
 
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I wouldn't be shocked if true, but we can't obviously dictate that as the truth but nonetheless a lot doesn't add up and that is not being UT biased.

I had 2 best friends in my college days both from different schools. They came for a party to my school- one male and one female and hooked up that night.

The next day I was with my male friend and he told me all about the occasion, no big deal, right? Well my other friend, the female, claimed to others she was raped.

Once I heard that I was furious bc I knew my best guy friend would never do that especially to someone i cared about. Turns out she was just ashamed and embarrassed about the affects alcohol had on her and how everyone knew she had a one night stand (which was out of character for her).

With the allegations of her flirting with AJ and texting him draws me to ponder if she felt the same things my friend did to claim she was "raped". If AJ did it then good riddance, but absolutely nothing has been proven and that is what's sad.


If your female friend was too inebriated to consent to sex, then she was raped. It's irrelevant how ashamed or embarrassed she was.
 
I understand.
Once again, this is my opinion only but wording and accusations in the lawsuit suggest they are implying intent.
Things like including Lil Jon. Seems they are implying we were setting up an intentional culture of supporting rape.
And the majority of the cases were handled primarily by law enforcement. Unless we attempted to steer them away from this, we should be ok with the handling.
I can see the title IX concerns but in theory, that should be directed in a different suit and not solely at UT.

The using of Lil Jon to imply a culture of rape is simply a code word for racism. Its not secret that the guys were mainly African American and the girls white. We don't need someone to draw us a picture to see the racial inferences.
 
It doesn't matter how a woman was dressed or if she was drinking or where she was. Why? Because rape is not about sex. It's about power. It doesn't mean all men are animals because obviously 99% of men would never even consider such a thing. It also doesn't mean that women have to be "perfect little ladies" and stay safely at home out of fear. There are plenty of ladies who stay at home and. end up victimized by some predator.

No always means no. To continue after a woman has said no is rape. Unfortunately, whether she said no is often a he said/she said thing. Physical evidence, like bruising, etc. can support that she is being truthful, but if physical evidence is lacking, well, you're just left with two different versions of what happened. It sucks. No doubt it sucks. But you can't just assume a man's guilt because an accusation is made.

The fact of the matter is that text messages before the fact do not establish anything other thsn communication between the girl and the guy. That's it. Think about it. If text messages were taken as "proof of intent" then what would all of us be guilty of? I threatened to kill my scummy ex-SIL via text once after he raped and beat my daughter. Fortunately, I haven't been convicted of attempted murder yet although I assure you the urge is still very real. Always will be.

Already covered this in another post.

What you folks who are soooo pissed at me seem to fail to realize is that I am speaking of generalities not specifics. I KNOW how victims are treated in court during rape trials. All the crap abput texts, attire, inebriation, etc. are just dressed up ways of saying "She asked for it. She wanted it. A whore cannot be raped." And I am telling you that the language some of you are employing is reaffirming that same horrible "defense".

Yes, women can be treated horribly in court. Victims are often denigrated. It's not right. Of course the accused gets the same treatment, should he choose to testify, and imo, refusing to testify can often paint a picture of guilt. So if a man is falsely accused, he's getting doubly hit, in the media, because his anonymity was never protected, and in the court room. At least in the court room a judge can rule for closed door proceedings. Once in the media, you're toast.

I don't know if AJ is guilty or if the girl lied. At this point, it's impossible to have an opinion until after the trial. I hope he's not. I hope she DID lie, so he can rebuild his life. But I do not think it's right to destroy her in the court of rumor and opinion before they go to trial. And regardless of the verdict, if he's found guilty some people will think it's bull****e...and if he's acquitted others will think he got preferential treatment. The fact of the matter is that whatever happened that night, a number of lives were ruined and that's a sad state of affairs for all of them.

If he's guilty, he deserves whatever happens. If he's innocent, well, it's a little late for him now. His name has been drug through the mud. It could be hard to find a job in the NFL if he wanted to continue his football career. There's the Canadian League, but the pay isn't the same. Even if he's cleared of the charges, there will always be some who feel he got away with it. That's why both parties deserve anonymity.

As to the few guys who suggested that I leave VolNation and hang out on the Ole Miss forums--well I'm sure that would make a couple of you really happy. But too dang bad. The snarkiness of others has never deterred me from speaking up for what is right and there's not a bully in the world who can get me to run like a coward. It's just a darn shame that speaking up can lead to such hatred because some believe a football team is more important than abandoning outdated misogyny and bullying tactics. *shrug*

I am not one who asked you to leave. I've tried to stay respectable. I do feel your passion on the subject has somewhat blinded you to the flip side of the coin.

Obviously that last paragraph wasn't directed at everyone but the 2-3 people to whom it refers.

I believe that the majority of the people on this forum are good people, who are horrified at the idea that any of our guys could be guilty of crimes like these. And while it may be comforting to think/hope these women really are lying, money grubbing hos out for all they can get, it's hard to believe they ALL are. We're not talking about a crew of hookers here, like in the Duke lacrosse case. We are talking about very young women--girls, really, the youngest was 18--who are students at the University of Tennessee. It takes an extraordinary amount of courage to come forward with this kind of accusation if it's TRUE. How much more so to perjure oneself? So if one or more are lying,I would be surprised if they made it all the way through depositions and court without bteaking down.

And in the end, if any of the allegations ARE true, they certainly do not deserve the hell they're about to go through on top of what they already have. It's a trauma that never ends--not for the girl or her family. Trust me. I know.

I've said it doesn't seem likely all five would be lying. Unless some heretofore connection is revealed, it just doesn't add up that all of them would be lying. There's the possibility none of them are lying. I will say this, I agree with you that if what they claim is true, it takes tremendous courage. I disagree with your assertion that there is courage in lying. Cowards lie. Courageous people own up to their actions. And lying is far easier for some than the truth.
 
If your female friend was too inebriated to consent to sex, then she was raped. It's irrelevant how ashamed or embarrassed she was.

This always begs the question for me, what if the man is as drunk? Women want equality. Women want the right to go to war. They want equal pay. Shouldn't all of these things come with equal responsibility? I've seen drunk women force themselves on drunk guys. Was the guy raped, even if she initiated the contact? So much grey area, imo, other than no means no. No always means no. If she says no, pull 'em up and leave.
 
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I hate saying this but my daughter was all set to go to UT this fall and now we are seriously considering other options. Im sure this goes on at every campus though.

I wouldn't let this deter your daughter from UT if this is where she wants to go.
 
This always begs the question for me, what if the man is as drunk? Women want equality. Women want the right to go to war. They want equal pay. Shouldn't all of these things come with equal responsibility? I've seen drunk women force themselves on drunk guys. Was the guy raped, even if she initiated the contact? So much grey area, imo, other than no means no. No always means no. If she says no, pull 'em up and leave.



If a male is too drunk to consent to sex, and a female or another male has sex with that drunk male, then the drunk male has also been raped.

If both parties are too drunk to consent to sex, then they have both raped each other. In such a case, I doubt either party will want to press charges, given that both parties are victims and perps.
 
If the texts were irrelevant, the prosecution wouldn't be battling to keep them out. Text message evidence can indicate that the woman initiated a sexual encounter and/or that both parties agreed to consensual sex. Text message evidence supported by the accuser's statements in the police and incident reports and witness statements taken after the alleged assault was reported could be favorable to the defense.
 
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The using of Lil Jon to imply a culture of rape is simply a code word for racism.

I too was floored when I saw the claim that hanging out with a rapper and listening to rap music = rape culture.

Could be seen as pushing stereotype IMO. A stereotype that is definitely out of bounds for a lawsuit and could certainly be seen as very distasteful/disrespectful socially IMO
 
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If the texts were irrelevant, the prosecution wouldn't be battling to keep them out. Text message evidence can indicate that the woman initiated a sexual encounter and/or that both parties agreed to consensual sex. Text message evidence supported by the accuser's statements in the police and incident reports and witness statements taken after the alleged assault was reported could be favorable to the defense.
I'm not sure why it would be thrown out. Seems prejudicial IMO
 
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Yep....it's simple....when young horndogs and young girls (some wearing skimpy outfits) get together using alcohol and drugs.....nothing moral happens. Judgement is impaired and self control goes out the window. Then there are some little girls who are gullible and never really been intoxicated and some use to fit in and then once they get lite....some turn into a different person. Im going to teach my daughter to stay away from these environments bc there is a high risk of bad choices that follow

What a novel idea. My father always told me that people that hang out in bars(I know this was not that environment) and such, tend to get into trouble eventually.:hi:
 
How many universities in the U.S. could be accused of the same? Not saying its right or wrong.
 
Geraldo Orta, had told Williams that the football team had “a hit” out on Drae Bowles.

In his interviews with police, UT football player Geraldo Orta stated that he felt Bowles had betrayed the team and that where he (Orta) came from, people got shot for doing what Bowles did.

I don't know how anyone can defend statements like this.

I never knew Valdosta was so gangsta
 
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