What to Make of the Vanderbilt Football Rape Case Verdict

For two former Vanderbilt football players, the case is closed. How our society deals with sexual assault? That battle is far from over. 

Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were convicted on Tuesday on aggravated rape charges stemming from an attack in a Vanderbilt dorm room two years ago. According to Justin Moyer of the Washington Post, both players face 15 to 80 years in prison. 

The two got their day in court and will likely spend several years behind bars for their indefensible and heartless actions. Two more former Vanderbilt players—Brandon Banks and Jaborian McKenzie—are awaiting trial for their alleged involvement in the incident as well.  

The details are sickening. According to her testimony, the victim was unconscious during the attack and thus unable to remember what happened. However, pictures taken during the attack helped convict Vandenburg and Batey, per the Post: 

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The case was unusual because the victim had no memory of the assault and could not testify about it. But the images — some taken by Vandenburg and sent to his friends during the attack — ultimately helped convict him and Batey. Batey — 6 feet, 183 pounds — was a wide receiver from Nashville. Vandenburg, a former tight end from Indio, Calif., is 6 feet 6 inches and 260 pounds.

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As heartbreaking as the event was, it was also an example of what happens when warning signs of sexual assault get swept under the rug. Though one question was answered—were Batey and Vandenburg guilty?—so many more remain unresolved. 

Why did no one call the police that night? 

Why did no one step in to help the victim? According to the Post, "Witnesses reportedly saw her partially naked in the hallway." 

The attack happened in a dorm room, where there are no secret entrances or dark hallways. 

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Why did four individuals feel the need, whether they explicitly had sex with the victim or not, to violate someone's body and spirit?

Why does this keep happening? 

What are schools doing to prevent this? A college's top priority besides the education of its students is the safety of its students. Yet, stories at schools like Missouri and Notre Dame pop up year after year. 

"That’s the culture that you really saw here," Deputy District Attorney Tom Thurman said via the Post. "Their mindset that they can get away with anything." 

It doesn't matter if the victim or the attackers were drunk and/or under the influence of drugs. It doesn't matter how she dressed, what time they met or whether she knew her attackers or not. No one who is sexually assaulted ever "asks" for it. 

"I want to remind other victims of sexual violence: You are not alone," the victim said via the Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports). "You are not to blame."

It's not at the rate it should be, but we are beginning to realize those truths. A victim is just that—a victim, not someone who should be shamed for what happened to them. 

In light of the Ray Rice domestic abuse case, a series of commercials under the "No More" PSA have been released, some featuring NFL athletes. The video below will be featured during Sunday's Super Bowl:

Given the league's previous dealings on such matters, it's easy to be incredulous. Why does the NFL just now care about this? Still, the ads provide an important message on the domestic abuse/sexual assault front.

It is our responsibility to do something if we see or hear something suspicious, as David Climer of The Tennessean alludes to: 

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What we have learned via testimony in court over the last two-plus weeks is that things were horribly wrong at Gillette Hall on the Vanderbilt campus. Too many students — some of them athletes — chose not to intervene during the assault or in its aftermath.

A lot of people still have some explaining to do.

Likewise, some of Vanderbilt's policies for athletes have been called into question based on testimony during the trial.

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Sexual assaults and domestic abuse cases have become a front-burner issue for this country. With the Rice and Vanderbilt cases, video and/or photographic evidence has been provided that gives these crimes a very real perspective we may not have been ready to see.

But, ultimately, it doesn't matter if we were ready. The victim of the Vanderbilt case wasn't ready, and neither were countless other victims. 

We can be ready next time, though. 

Ben Kercheval is a Lead Writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.