Malik Richmond (l) and Trent Mays (r) of Steubenville High School football team.

Here is one that has us sitting on a fence scratching at our heads attempting to figure out which side to fully get behind – something we are not altogether familiar with…  Malik Richmond and Trent Mays – Steubenville High School football players, are at the center of alleged rape charges and overall sexual misconduct with an overly inebriated 15-year-old girl from West Virginia, reports The NY Times.

The duo are being charged as youths for taking sexual liberties with said girl while transporting her from party to party and, at times, throughout the evening, sexually violating her all the while in plain sight of cohorts, while brazenly documenting their acts on cell phone captured videos and photographs.

Outrageous, no?  But hardly a new phenom in the age of social media.

We say we are ‘on the fence’ as, after reading above linked article, among other materials HERE, there seems to a compounded series of actions lacking any level of common sense by all parties involved.  Starting with the mention of fetes being hosted by coaching staff for their players post games.  Actions which the town is allegedly aware of…

We are also on the fence due to the fact that young men would be willing to take advantage of a girl who is otherwise unable to convey lucid consent to sexual activities is from anything new.  Movies are made and countless stories written about such – time and again.

That supposed dozens of spectators traversed the scene and did nothing to intervene is also of no great shock.  Peer pressure is as old as time.  A sad state of affairs but its the ugly truth.

We also remain troubled in that this 15-year-old would throw herself into harms way by consuming enough alcohol to pass out and be sexually violated in plain sight of spectators.  This act bares asking the simple question of ‘how could you be so stupid!’  Quickly to be followed up by ‘where were your (supposed) friends?’

We have been privy to many a similar circumstance where we have had to play sitter to overly indulgent amigos and have had to keep them from waking up to some large regret at the hands of folks flippantly acting out on opportunity presenting itself.  People aren’t all good at heart – that is just a myth.

We don’t however understand how folks don’t come forward to fill in the missing parts of this story…  Because of all we’ve read there seems to be as many missing pieces as the victims memory post midnight.

Like for instance:  was she being supplied with continuous alcohol by these jocks or was she willingly pursuing refills of her own accord.  And where were her friends she attended the party with or did she in fact attend on her lonesome?

Don’t get it twisted, y’all.  We don’t condone in any shape, way or form the taking advantage of anyone who isn’t in control of some faculty.  We just don’t see the fun in that AT ALL.  But as culpable as Richmond and Mays are – not to mention their entourage – this girl bares a smidge of responsibility all her own that no amount of blame can erase.

Unidentified source is calling for culprits to identify themselves prior to a January 1st deadline where they will divulge names, addresses, SS #’s et al of those culpable.

Cell phone photo of West Virginia girl being carried unconscious by arms and legs.

http://f.cl.ly/items/2v1G1K1I1T352F1N0n0f/OpRollRedRoll%20Press%20Release..mp4