<![CDATA[Washtenaw Watchdogs - University of Michigan]]>

Brendan Gibbons mug shot. Image courtesy of Ann Arbor Police Department

Brendan Gibbons on Football field. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Introduction:

In 2009, Brendan Gibbons was a red shirt freshman field goal kicker for the University of Michigan football team. However, before his first varsity kick, he was arrested shortly after the Michigan/Ohio State football game in 2009, for raping an 18 yr. old freshman at a party in the Chi Psi fraternity house.

Brendan Gibbons was a highly ranked football recruit from Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was recruited as a field goal kicker but he also played defensive end, fullback and linebacker in high school.

“The 6-1, 205-pound Gibbons has had a strong senior season, converting 10 of 12 field goals with a long of 52 yards. He also has hit 93 percent of his kickoffs for touchbacks, and most go out the back of the end zone. Gibbons leg strength is one of his best assets and he expects he'll be able to show it off early at Michigan.”[1]

He was recruited under the head coach, Rich Rodriguez. He was a large and powerful athlete, and she was 106 lbs.

The only report in the newspaper was anonymous because the Ann Arbor Police refused to confirm that he was under arrest or that he was being investigated for rape.

According to the young woman’s statement to police, she knew Brendan Gibbons and considered him a friend. They were both scholarship athletes and they had both lived at Mary Markley Hall (dormitory). They saw each other at the athletic department’s academic center[2].

The night before the rape, there was an incident at another party where Gibbons had briefly kissed the young woman[3].

The night of the rape, the woman had gone to a party with some female friends, at the Chi Psi fraternity house. She had been served about 4 beers and a shot of alcohol[4]. She stated that she had a lot to drink. She also noted that about 80% of the people at the party were freshman. Within two days of the incident, the Chi Psi fraternity national headquarters put the UM chapter on suspension and prohibited them from having alcohol at any of their social events[5].

Room 17: Scene of the crime. Image courtesy of Ann Arbor Police Department

Cartoon on the door of room 17. Image courtesy of Ann Arbor Police Department

She met Gibbons at the party and at one point was sitting with him on a couch. She needed to use a bathroom, which was located on the second floor of the fraternity. Gibbons walked with her to the second floor and followed her into the bathroom. She was wearing leggings under her dress, which Gibbons tried to pull down. She said no and left the bathroom. Gibbons followed and forced her into an open bedroom. He pushed her down on the bed, grabbing onto her arm to control her (note the documentation of bruises on her arm by the police)[6]. She told him “no” multiple times. He did not use a condom and semen was found on her dress.

After the rape, the woman left the Chi Psi house immediately. She called a friend who met her on the way back to her dorm. She was crying hysterically and she told her friend what had happened[7]. She reported the incident to the resident advisor of her dorm, to a university housing security officer, campus police and to Ann Arbor police.

She was taken to University Hospital for a rape examination, which showed vaginal tearing.

Brendan Gibbons admitted to having sex with the young woman but claimed that it was consensual. “She never asked me to stop. We were both into it.” He stated that his whole life would be ruined, the girl always wins[8].

Taylor Lewan on Football field. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Shortly after the woman reported the rape, she began to receive threats from Gibbons roommate and fellow football player, Taylor Lewan (now an All-American), that he would rape her again if she pressed charges against Gibbons.

The threats were reported by two other football players to the Office of Student Affairs who reported them to the University police. The University police did a “wellness check” on the young woman[9] and met with Taylor Lewan. They warned Taylor Lewan not to threaten the woman again and that he might face criminal charges[10]. No criminal charges were ever filed by the campus police.

Brendan Gibbons went on to become the starting place kicker for the University of Michigan football team. His performance in the 2010 season was dismal and made him the butt of jokes but in 2011 and 2012 he had much better seasons and he is on the preseason watch list for awards in the upcoming 2013 season.

In the 2011 Sugar Bowl, Gibbons kicked the winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game. He was interviewed after the game and was asked what he was thinking of while he was waiting to make the kick. His response was “brunette girls”. The video went viral on the internet, with more than 378,000 views. I cannot imagine what his victim thought when she heard of his remark.

This young woman has suffered greatly. Not only was she victimized by her rapist and by his roommate’s threats to rape her again, but the University denied her both protection and justice. At the very least, Brendan Gibbons should have been expelled and Taylor Lewan suspended. Instead, Brendan Gibbons is about to complete a successful football career at the University of Michigan and Taylor Lewan is an All-American.

This is not what Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler or Bo Schembechler would have call a “Michigan Man”

The following quote is from a Sports Illustrated story about recruiting and other NCAA violations at Oklahoma State University between 2000 and 2011. This quote refers to reports that some members of the schools hostess program would have sex with football recruits.

On the surface, what allegedly occurred at those schools and with the small number of Orange Pride members and recruits in Stillwater might appear harmless. But is it? Players told SI there was a sense of entitlement among teammates, that they felt that the women on campus existed for their pleasure. Says Katherine Redmond Brown, founder of the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes, "Things like hostess programs are a big part of that toxic conditioning."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130913/oklahoma-state-part-4-the-sex/#ixzz2enmKg0Wa

[1] http://mgoblog.com/content/2009-recruiting-brendan-gibbons

Police report

[5] Letter from the Chi Psi national headquarters

[9] UM police report (Wellness check on the victim)
[10] UM police report (Warning to Taylor Lewan)

[11] Victim’s communication via Facebook

ann_arbor_police_report_re_gibbons.pdf
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UPDATE: 09.17.13 Brendan Gibbons’ Arrest

The report of the physical examination of the victim has just become available in response to a new FOIA request.

The examination showed that there were linear tears in the skin of the labia minora. An internal examination was not possible because it was too painful to perform.

The frequency of genital injuries, visible in direct examination, in rape victims is from 20 to 40%.[1] The use of dyes and magnification to detect more subtle injuries can increase the frequency of injury detection. Tears of the labia minora are one of the most common injuries found in rape victims. The incidence of genital injuries following consensual sex has not been adequately studied but tears of the labia minora have rarely been described in studies of consensual sex. Even in studies of consensual sex, findings of injuries are almost always associated with reports of dry, painful sex.

The genital injuries and the bruising of the upper arm are more consistent with the victim’s report than with Gibbons’ report of consensual sex.

[1] Sommers_doc2

sommers_doc2.pdf
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