Serena Williams ‘apologizes’ for what she ‘supposedly’ said about rape victim

Earlier, I covered Serena Williams’ comments to Rolling Stone regarding the Steubenville rape case. I noticed that some of you blamed the journalist for asking Serena about the case, but in the RS excerpt (via Deadspin), it sounds like Serena offered up her victim-blaming thoughts out of thin air, unprompted. In any case, I’m not sure the “why did a journalist ask her about it?” debate will really go anywhere. To recap, here’s what Serena said:

We watch the news for a while, and the infamous Steubenville rape case flashes on the TV—two high school football players raped a 16-year-old, while other students watched and texted details of the crime. Serena just shakes her head.

“Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don’t know. I’m not blaming the girl, but if you’re a 16-year-old and you’re drunk like that, your parents should teach you: don’t take drinks from other people. She’s 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn’t remember? It could have been much worse. She’s lucky. Obviously I don’t know, maybe she wasn’t a virgin, but she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”

[Rolling Stone via Deadspin]

As you imagine, the outcry has been immediate and ferocious. So Serena had to issue an apology not even 24 hours after Deadspin’s article was published. Here’s her statement:

“What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened. For someone to be raped, and at only sixteen, is such a horrible tragedy! For both families involved — that of the rape victim and of the accused. I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article. What was written — what I supposedly said — is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame.

I have fought all of my career for women’s equality, women’s equal rights, respect in their fields — anything I could do to support women I have done. My prayers and support always goes out to the rape victim. In this case, most especially, to an innocent sixteen year old child.”

[From Serena’s blog]

No, seriously, what the sh-t? Could Serena TRY to be even more offensive than she was originally? Could she deliberately parse her words and try to blame the Rolling Stone writer any harder? FFS, I don’t get how this is a “tragedy” for the families of those rapists, especially not ON THE SAME LEVEL as the rape victim’s tragedy. And “what I supposedly said” – yeah, I hope RS releases the tape. I think the worst part is this: “I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame.” Except that she did exactly that.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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191 Responses to “Serena Williams ‘apologizes’ for what she ‘supposedly’ said about rape victim”

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  1. Jordan says:

    Well that was fast

    • Anonny says:

      Fast…and not likely written by her.

      I find it sad/funny when ensuing apologies don’t resemble the original statement in tone, style, word choice, etc.

      • Masque says:

        This. Her original statement was poorly thought out and poorly articulated. I find it hard to believe the second (well written and thought out) statement came from her.

      • B says:

        PR team issued statement. Best thing they could do considering her idiotic state, especially since she could have never thought/written that, IMO. Too late, RS transcripts please. Stick to whacking balls & shut your mouth please.

      • amanda. says:

        Some people should learn how to stfu. She should stick to what she knows best, and no, it isn’t talking.

      • kiddo says:

        It doesn’t make any sense. If the article misquoted her then what did she actually say? This “supposedly” crap sounds like she can’t remember what she said. Maybe she had a few drinks. Oh wait… At any rate, she should have clarified the “supposed” and not blamed the magazine. It’s like she’s going to apologize to the girl’s family for something someone else did.

      • springingforward says:

        She has spent too many hours in the heat of the sun; this woman’s lack of character makes me stabby.

      • OutstandingWorldCitizen says:

        A piss-poor apology from an uninformed athlete supporting fellow athletes. The common denominator is they are athletes male or female. Not only is she an athlete, she is one of those women who goes after other women for “being victims” because she believes (right or wrong) it could never happen to her.

        That said, I agree that women must be wary even in the company of friends. How many stories have we heard of women not having each others backs with the worst consequences. Yes, you must look out for yourself but we’ve become all too self-centered in this world. I live in NY and the photo of the man pushed on the train tracks and no one bothered to help. Just took photos. SMH. It still haunts me. I’m getting off topic a bit. Anyway what happened in Steubenville is vile; corruption on all levels to protect these savages and the game of HS football. Similar to what happen at Penn State. No concern or lack of concern for other human beings no matter the damage. Furthermore, it awfully duplicitous of us here in the State to judge India’s treatment of rape victims when we are guilty of blaming the victim drugged, drunk or not.

        Serena, at this point in her career, should be savvy enough to say “no comment” especially on a story so rife with controversy and corruption so deep it boggles the mind. Mind you, the two little angels (so many others should have been brought up on charges too) who were convicted in juvie posted pictures and comments on Twitter. There was even video after the fact of one of the “witnesses” laughing etc. Rah, rah America. Nuff said.

    • Stacy says:

      It was “fast” because her PR team is in full-on panic mode right now.

      Endorsements are at stake. Big money is at stake. Serena is one of the most marketable female athletes on the planet; saying stupid, indefensible shit puts a severe dent in her “brand.”

      I doubt Serena is even sorry. She’s well-known as a snotty, immature brat who acts like she’s still in high school.

      In the infamous 2009 U.S. Open incident happened where she threatened the female linesperson by shaking her racket at her and screaming in her face that she would ram a tennis ball down her throat, it took her DAYS to apologize. Not the next day, not even the day after, it was at least a week after the fact when she offered a half-hearted, grudging apology.

      Her PR team knows this is serious. Wimbledon is about to start soon – Serena was going to get hammered at the pressers. Best to get the apology out for maximum PR purposes.

    • YDavis says:

      All of this outrage, and only 100 people have signed the petition.
      http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/urge-nike-to-drop-serena?source=c.url&r_by=8061853

      And one of the responses?

      “lmao im gonna sign this because you are all so dumb to think they are gonna drop her because of her opinion and a dumb petition with only 100 sigs i hope you all never reproduce.”

      If you honestly care about this, PLEASE sign the petition.

      • Stacy says:

        I just signed – thank you for the link. It is up to 109 signatures now.

        Keep passing this link along – maybe post it on RAINN or something like that. Get women’s groups to sign on to it.

  2. Anna-fo-Fanna says:

    Oh, awesome, another non-apology apology. You said it, you know it, you suck BIG TIME. Dude, f*ck all these victim blamers!!! GRRRR!!!

    • Jessiebes says:

      Definitely a non-apology apology. Either be really sorry for what you said, or own what you said, or say nothing at all.

    • F5 says:

      Maybe it’s ink poisoning from those godawful tattooed eyebrows.

  3. Shauna says:

    All I can do right now is glare at her. Awful.

    • eb says:

      I wonder how many fans she lost? Even the reflexive “go for America” fans. Truly, this combined with her blow-up at the line judge is making a character picture of her that I’m sure she wouldn’t like.

      This will come up again in the press at Wimbledon. I can only hope that she is able to communicate some greater understanding at that time. Like rape is always wrong. And that the victim is never responsible in any way for the moral failings of others.

  4. Bacon! says:

    They’re not ‘the accused’, you dumb fuck. They were convicted and found guilty. They’re convicted rapists. There’s a FUCKING DIFFERENCE.

    Also, Kaiser – thank you for putting ‘apologizes’ in quotes – this was by no means an apology.

    • scylla says:

      Everything you said!
      Also she said: “…in this case, most especially, to an innocent sixteen year old child.”
      WFT? Every victim of rape, innocent or not… is a victim. I hate “slut shaming” and this is still out there a little bit.

    • L says:

      Seriously. Accused? No. They are guilty and were found so in a court of law. Are we so afraid of ‘ruining some boys life’ now that we can’t even call them rapists once they are convicted? Really?

      And their ‘tragedy’ is that they are criminals and rapists. I feel zero empathy for them and it’s not the same as the tragedy of being gang raped at 16. Not at all.

      • Lucinda says:

        Yes, this attitude of fear is part of the problem. The tragedy is that each time we blame the victim, we FAIL to teach our boys what consent means, what drunk means legally in terms of consent, and what decency as a human being means.

        As a mother of a daughter, it is my job to teach her what she is worth and how to protect her self. But as a mother to a son, it is my job (and his father’s) to teach him what he is strong and the responsibility that comes with physical strength. He will learn both the value of a woman and the value of being a real man.

    • Irishae says:

      Any insinuation that a victim of sexual assault is to blame…soo disgusting. What a half-assed way for Serena to back pedal. It sickens me when I see other women pull the “she shouldn’t have put herself in that situation” excuse. That mindset is VERY common. When the trial was happening, the large majority of my female co-workers had the same opinion. As if they had to put her in her place. Rape is not some failed life lesson!

      • gg says:

        Especially since this could’ve been the first time she’d ever drunk this much. Everybody has to learn alcohol responsibility and unfortunately, that frequently means you pass out once to learn that. I once drank a bunch of bad combinations and passed out; learned not to do that. Never did it again. Luckily nothing happened to me because I was with my sister.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      YES EXACTLY!
      My God..wtf is wrong with this chick??

      I hope she reaches out to the VICTIM and that she tells Serena to go f*ck herself.

    • Abra says:

      This!!

    • gogoGorilla says:

      Seriously. This is such a WTF moment.

      Everything about this case makes my heart hurt: the way it transpired, the social media aspect, the “friends” who threatened the victim, the town that tried to keep it under wraps, the continued voice of “victimization” for the CONVICTED RAPISTS.

      Ugh. It makes me want to hurl.

  5. Carebearvancouver says:

    Women always judge other women the most harsh. in fact on rape trials women can be the most unsympathetic. they need to separate themselves from the victim, so that they feel safe. they need to feel that their daughters and mothers and sisters could not have this happen to them and so project behaviour as the cause of violence towards women when in fact sexual violence is the cause itself , not what you wear or how you act. Athletes actors and models should never speak, they are rarely smart or informed! I hope my daughter never dates jocks…geeks rule lol

    • Tasha says:

      Neither is the every day Joe who says the same stupid stuff Athletes, actors and models say. If we go by you then no one should ever talk.

      • Irishae says:

        Everyday Joe usually doesn’t have magazines or TMZ to squawk at. They can be assholes on their own time. Way to nit-pick her comment.

    • Sherry says:

      I always think of Ryan Lochte as a poster child while we should not listen to an athlete’s opinion on anything.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Yeah this reminds me of the KLobe Bryant case.
      I still can’t wrap my head around the backlash and how people vilified that girl, dragged her through the mud, revealing her sexual history and basically labeling her a “whore” that probably “gave it up” to Kobe.

      As others have brought up, this seems to typical behavior when we’re talking about the public worship of athletes, whether high school football stars or pro athletes.

      • kc454 says:

        The rape was WRONG, but why was the girl drinking in the first place. When 2 girls I knew got brutally raped and 1 eventually died because they were hanging out where the Cuban convicts were living in those tents (Scarface), we all knew not to go down there. The cops often scolded males and females for being around that area because it was dangerous, but some people kept going there anyway and when a bad thing happened to them, well, they should not have been there. Those boys deserve to be punished, rape is wrong, but she had no business drinking as a minor. That is where it all started, if she had not been drinking, this would not have happened.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        STOP IT. Please just STOP justifying their behavior.

        “..but why was the girl drinking in the first place.”

        Why were those YOUNG MEN drinking in the first place? Why don’t you ask THAT?????

        “IF she had not been drinking in the first place, this would not have happened.”

        WHAT? If THOSE YOUNG MEN (stop infantilizing them by calling them “boys”) had not been drinking, MAYBE this would not have happened, but maybe it would have. None of these things are relevant nor do they excuse their behavior. I just hope to god that you never have a daughter, because the chances are she will end up in college and it’s very likely she’ll end up drinking when she is not of age. If she ever finds herself in the same situation as this young woman did, will you tell her “it never would have happened to you if you didn’t decide to drink”?????

        Your statements as well as Serena’s comments HORRIFY me, literally HORRIFY me.

      • Rachel says:

        kc454- Did you even GO to high school??? Because it may have been 15 years ago for me, but I still remember that every weekend, there were at least a handful of parties where minors were drinking. My sister’s class partied even harder. Same thing with my brother’s class. And yet, shockingly, even though minors were drinking, NO ONE WAS RAPED. Because underaged drinking has nothing to do with rape. She wasn’t raped because she was drunk. She was raped because a bunch of guys thought it would be funny to violate another person, film it and put it on facebook for everyone to see. That was their choice. Their choice and no one else’s. They made a conscious decision to rape a defenseless girl. End. Of. Story.

      • littlestar says:

        Well said, OKitt!!!!! Well said. Another thing that also disgusts me is when people say, “Now those boys lives are ruined.” Like wtf?! As if the victim’s life wasn’t ruined? Especially in the Stubenville case. It was mind boggling to me how many people used that argument to support the rapists. Why didn’t they realize themselves that it was going to ruin their lives??? I’m so SICK AND TIRED of people saying “she asked for it”. No, she didn’t ask for it.

      • littlestar says:

        Rachel – you said it very well, as well!!! The rape had nothing to do with drinking, and EVERYTHING to do with the young men’s attitudes.

      • kc454 says:

        I was a student at the University of Florida and a girl got raped because she walked the wrong way back to her dorm. We all knew not to do certain things, and I do not condone nor defend these young men, but we also cannot put ourselves in harms way. Like I said, I knew a girl that died from being brutally raped in Miami by those Cuban convicts, and we all knew not to be around that area, yet her and her friend went there anyway. WHY!!! Campus security always said do not take certain paths alone after dark, especially females, but some did, WHY!! If you know something bad can happen to you, why do it? I hated walking the long way around that huge campus, but I did because I did not want to put myself in danger. I hated not going to old hangouts, but I stopped going because I knew those convicts were around somewhere. We have to take responsibility for our own actions as well!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Kitten re: Kobe Bryant.
        I called a radio show with Tom Leykis because he was going on about what a “slut” the girl was. I pointed out:

        1. Male fluids and “swimmers” can stay in underwear for months after repeat washings (per Sports Illustrated). Her underwear did not reflect her recent sexual activity.

        2. A woman can consent to the front door, but if the man forces the back door on her, that is still rape. So even if she went willingly to a person’s room, that doesn’t mean she consented to all activity.

        He was actually stunned into silence for a moment!

      • Faye says:

        @kc454 -According to your logic, the girl brought this on herself. So what about the women who are raped by a home intruder when their husbands are away on a business trip, which is what happened in my hometown? They brought it on themselves for sleeping alone, right? What about the woman who was dragged from her car into an alley in broad daylight outside of Johns Hopins University several years ago? I guess she had it coming for wanting a college education! What about innocent children who are molested by male relatives? Guess kids should know better than to be alone with their fathers! What about that poor woman in India who was riding a bus accompanied by her boyfriend when she was brutally gang-raped, to the point where she died of her injuries. Guess she brought it on herself for taking public transportation.

        The problem with your way of thinking is that no matter how women try to protect themselves, determined men will always find a way to rape them, since they are bigger and stronger and nobody can go around fully protected with bodyguards 24/7. We should NOT be focusing on the women – the focus needs to be on not only reducing sexism and misogyny in our culture, but on making sure rapists are locked up more easily and STAY locked up. Violent men will only be deterred from rape when the consequences are very daunting.

      • Nerd Alert says:

        kc454

        If we all have to take responsibility for our own actions, what about the rapists? Why don’t you discuss their responsibility and stop talking about a girl who was drinking though she shouldn’t have been, when almost EVERYBODY in America does that as a teen?

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        Thanks Littlestar, Faye, Rachel and others.

        Tiffany-I wish we were in person because I would give you the BIGGEST high-five. Awesome that you put that a-hole in his place. This summarizes how I feel about Kobe: http://msmagazine.com/blog/2010/06/17/hey-remember-how-kobe-bryant-is-probably-a-rapist/

        @kc454-I know it might seem like we’re all coming down on you pretty hard but our point is that while cautioning women to be careful and to not put ourselves in potentially dangerous situations might seem like good advice, and likely IS good advice— that advice in NO WAY, SHAPE, or FORM addresses the actual ROOT of the problem, which is men thinking that women’s bodies are theirs for the taking, that our sexuality is a publicly traded commodity that any man can simply grab, if the circumstances allow for it. You are perpetuating and supporting that mentality (whether you are aware of it or not) by insinuating that women brought it upon themselves by going to dangerous areas and not heeding the advice of others.

        Rape is a complex and epidemic issue that crosses economic and class divides, racial divides, generational and geographical divides. It is ALL too common in today’s society and we need to stop the problem where it starts-with MEN and the way that we raise and socialize them. We need to make it very clear and emphatic that they do NOT have ownership of women’s bodies. I don’t GAF how drunk a girl was, whether she was coming onto them and then changed her mind, whether she was in a dangerous area, whether she was dressing provocatively WHATEVER. Circumstances are IRRELEVANT when it comes to rape-it is simply NEVER ok.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        @kc454: I have no words for your comments. Well, actually, I HAVE words, but they are not nice ones. Rape isn’t about sex, sexuality, being attracted to how someone is dressed, etc. It’s about POWER. It’s about exerting power over another human being. And blaming the victim is never acceptable.

      • mayamae says:

        I think that alcohol does play a part in that it makes girls/women more vulnerable and it’s an easy way to slip her a date rape drug.

        I think a female can strip naked and pass out with her legs spread and she still in no way invites rape. She does not deserve rape nor ask for it. But I think drinking and drinking to excess makes her more able to be victimized.

        The men were pigs, but alcohol lessens their inhibitions and makes them more pig-like.

        Alchohol is not an excuse but I think it does have a contributing factor. It seems whenever we hear about these horror stories, alchohol is involved.

      • kc454 says:

        Kitten and others: I understand your points and I could not have been RAISED better by my Mother, Grandmother, Aunts and Neighbors about not touching a female and to always show a female the utmost respect and to do whatever I can to protect a female, especially from another male. I have educated my nephews and nieces the same way and students about RESPECT and not touching anyone and that No means NO!! However the world has been this way since we’ve been here and likely will not change. I have seen guys try females, and I have seen females group together and protect each other, and I have stepped up and defended females from aggressive males. My mother would have killed me if I would have ever been accused of rape. I wouldn’t have made it to trial, and these young men deserve to be castrated for their actions, but females need to be careful because no matter what, there is always some guy somewhere just waiting to take advantage of them. I am not protecting them, I felt bad for her and glad they got prosecuted, but I felt bad that someone did not step up and say “Hey, ENOUGH! You’re crossing the line!” The girls I went to high school with just did not play that, they would kick us in the balls in a minute if we got too close. I had a fight with a football player because he grabbed my girlfriend’s sister’s behind and tried to be slick about it. My nieces will tell you I always gave them stern warnings and good advice about their behavior because not all men exercise respect when it comes to women. I hate it when males disrespect females, but it happens and will continue to regardless of our efforts to halt it. Some males will never see females as an equal and that thought pattern will continue to proliferate through our species. I agree it is wrong, and we need to do more, but when will it ever end? I do not think so in our lifetime, so as females, please be careful of what and how you do things because some of us are just plain disgusting DOGS!! However, I have enjoyed the conversations though, I always love reading your posts.

      • msw says:

        We can all be more vigilant about protecting ourselves, all the time. That doesn’t give other people a free pass to rape, steal, abuse or kill. Have a little more respect for men by putting the blame where it belongs, instead on emphasizing the victim’s decisions. Males aren’t autonomous horndogs who have brains in their pants; they have capacity to choose what they doas well. Why is the focus always on the woman’s actions and not on the person who actually hurt someone–and in this case, BRAGGED about it and posted the evidence to social media?

        Your last comment juet appeared and i still don’t think you get what these posters are saying. Calling some men “dogs” does not excuse them for making REALLY FREAKING BAD decisions. Why are you focusing on the decision of the female? Even if she did make a choice that put her at risk, why is the focus on her and not the significantly poorer decisions of the males who raped her?

      • Janet says:

        @kc454: I don’t give a shit if that girl was strolling across the campus drunk and stark naked at midnight, she still has a right not to be raped. Capisce?

      • bluecalling says:

        what serena said was wrong but it was her train of thought, not clear, just her thinking. running to bash people who think differently, whether wrong or right, is not the way to change their mind. i do not agree with what she said. i know if she had to think about it and not how bad the situation is all around she would have said differently, but yeah, that was how she felt then. i am just surprised that we are all surprised that some people don’t think fing@ring should be in the same category of p@netration when it comes to rape or that minors should not be shown in court regardless of their crime. are we really shocked?

        and about the kobe case, i have to say, i followed that one closely… and yes, the backlash she received was bad, but him being, what by all accounts looked like, falsely accused is worse. she bragged about sleeping with him and then said she was raped. for me, those two NEVER go together.

      • K says:

        kc454 – your attitude is ridiculous. What you’re basically saying is that girls should make sure some other girl is the victim, not them. The problem here is not that she drank as part of a mildly rebellious teen maturing process – loads of kids do that. The problem is we live in a culture which means people like you make comments like that which mean little shits grow up thinking rape is partly the responsibility of anyone they can force it on.

        Drinking makes you more vulnerable, so you are the selected victim. But if no girl drank, rape would still be just as common, and another victim selected. It’s endemic in South Africa and a huge issue in India and Afghanistan, where women have far fewer sexual partners and drink far less, because rape is an expression of contempt for women. It’s not about women’s choices, or male rape victim’s choices either, it’s about humiliating and forcing and dominating the victim. The only person choosing for a rape to occur is the rapist, and your comments merely suggest that we juggle the victim selection process. How is that helpful?

        These boys could get sex easily, they were football stars. The point to them was the humiliating and degrading. It was a horrific, serious form of bullying, because that is what rape always is. That’s why it’s so common in DV cases; it’s about control and degradation. It is not about the girl. Get that straight right now.

      • balehead2012 says:

        kc454
        I’m speechless of you way of thinking! Just speechless and appalled…

    • Lucinda says:

      There’s a lot of truth to that. If we blame the victim, then we believe we have control and we can avoid it happening to us. To accept that the victim is blameless, did nothing wrong, and something awful happened to her is a terrifying truth.

      • bluecalling says:

        +1

        thank you.

        unfortunately, it is a natural FIRST reaction for some, especially people who feel they are in control of their lives and others can be do.

        clearly, with thought, reason (hopefully) kicks in.

  6. HH says:

    Her inability to lose gracefully made me dislike her a little, but I gave her a pass because I’ve never been in anything competitive so I don’t know what it’s like to work so hard for something just to have it slip away. This, however, THIS. I just can’t believe she said any of that. What does her virginity have anything to do with it?! How is it a tragedy for those boys? Ugh! I have so many things to say. I need a blog just for my thoughts on this alone.

    • Anon says:

      +1. Her lack of grace in losing…more like blaming, whining, excusing.. Just gross

      • Sherry says:

        It reminds me of waaaaay back in the day when Madonna had some nude photos come out and she was, “Yeah, I did it. I was young and it was something I did.” Around the same time, Vanessa Williams was Miss America and her nude photos came out and she was, “I was taken advantage of. I didn’t know what I was doing. It was the photographer’s fault for using a naive girl.”

        I’m not a Madonna fan, but I respected her for being truthful and accepting responsibility for her choices. Vanessa Williams just came off as whiny and blaming everyone but herself.

        Serena should own her stupid remarks and sit herself down.

      • SueAnn says:

        Perfect! She is so classless. Her sister Venus on the other hand beams class.

  7. Annie says:

    I’m glad that she’s taking responsibility, I just wish she wasn’t so wishy washy about it. “Yeah, you know what, that was not cool for me to say that she had any responsibility in this situation, blame the rapists, not the victim. Always.”

    I just think it’s sad, truly, that if you talk to people about cases like this you will find A LOT of victim blaming. She’s no different than 90% of society who will feel bad for the family of the rapists and the rapists themselves before they feel truly bad for the victim, which I DON’T GET. Her situation was traumatic and difficul and it will probably have an effect in her sex life for a while. And then she says something like “I don’t know if she was a virgin” how is that relevant? It’s still a horrible situation. I don’t feel bad for the rapists at all. If they hadn’t been caught this soon they would’ve gotten a lot worse in college. Maybe this will help them reform themselves.

    But I’m glad things like this happen. When a celebrity messes up. Because then you can have a real dialogue with the people you know in real life and educate their dumb asses.

    • Erinn says:

      The only thing though, I think she’s only apologizing because of the backlash. I don’t believe she actually feels bad about it.

      The “apology” was a blatant attempt to throw RS under the bus, and make it sound like they twisted her words to make her look bad.

      To me, it’s a clear PR spin to try and sweep it all under the rug.

    • Lucinda says:

      How is she taking responsibility when the apology states she didn’t say those words?

  8. Chrissy says:

    And this is why you should think before you speak…

    • Nicolette says:

      Which clearly is something she and many others in the public eye don’t do. They spew their idiotic, insensitive, moronic thoughts and then when they get backlash for it their PR firms concoct these false ‘apologies’ for them.

  9. nicegirl says:

    My dad always says, “Don’t call me from the office of JUDGE MENTAL” . . .

    severe

  10. aims says:

    That was no apology. It really feels like the last two days have been, lets blame the blameless, by some crappy people. I’m so tired of these so called “celebs” running their mouths about something they clearly know nothing about.

  11. QQ says:

    So Like… “Sorry if you were offended” is that what this is?

    • Maxine says:

      It’s more like “I didn’t say what you think I said,” which is just a total lie. I hope Rolling Stone sticks up for their writer and confirms the accuracy of the quote.

  12. littlestar says:

    She may be successful at what she does, but Serena Williams seems like a complete idiot.

    • FLORC says:

      And she wants to stay successful and keep her endorsements. That is why we get this half a** apology. This might be just the start of the hate storm headed her way.

      She clearly has no grasp on the effects of that form of assault (not typing the R word any more out of respect to those celebitches that are still healing). I’m hoping someone in the girl’s family is able to bring some suit against her. The damage of sexual assault is not over when the assault ends. And it’s certainly not close to the assaulter’s family’s pain.

      I grew to hate my assaulters name, the glasses he wore and the shape of his nose. The PTSD that follows will pop up in nightmares. Walking down the street and seeing someone that looks like them sends me into a momentary panic even years later. These things need to be told to Serena so she can understand how she views sexual assault and all parties involved is backwards and ignorant.

    • Meredith says:

      Sadly the two aren’t mutually exclusive. A person can be really good at something (sports, business, arts) and yet be a total ass. And Serena Williams appears to be proving that point. I believe Rolling Stone and I hope they release the tape of the interview to prove she is lying by trying to blame them for what she “supposedly” said.

  13. Janet says:

    Did she say “maybe she wasn’t a virgin” as if that was some kind of excuse for what those pigs did to her? I don’t give a shit if she had been a prostitute, even a prostitute has a right not to be raped.

    • sputnik says:

      that struck me too. why bring her virginity into it? is rape only bad if the victim is “pure”? if you’ve consented to sex before, you’re just up for it, always? a violation is just that no matter the victim’s age, sexual history or blood alcohol level.

  14. Hipocricy says:

    B$tch please !

    Etheridge and Williams are two morons with a capital M, full of it and pitiful.

    I loathe them with a passion…sorry but i can’t sugarcoat my feelings towards those poor excuses of women.

  15. Vine says:

    Holy sh-t! I had heard there was a conroversy about what she said but until now I hadn’t read her statement. What the f–k does it matter if the victim was a virgin or not?! What the f–k does it matter that she was drunk?!

    Holy hell. So much wrong with BOTH her statements.

  16. embertine says:

    Well. Either they misquoted her, in which case she deserves an apology, or they didn’t, in which case she needs to do some actual reading about the subject and maybe learn something.

    One or the other, there’s no in between with this one.

    • Amy says:

      There is no reason on earth that any decent reporter would make something like this up. You follow the story, you accurately quote your source and I would bet that there is an audio clip of Ms. Williams saying what she did. I had something like this happen once, and I didn’t have a taped transcript. But I’m pretty fast on the keyboard, and my editor’s response to me when I asked her how much trouble I was in was, “Amy, no one types the word ‘dilapidated’ if they haven’t heard it.” Unless the reporter was Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass, I’m guessing what was printed was what Ms. Williams said.

  17. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I think the part of her “apology” stating that this is a tragedy not only for the victim, but for the “accused” and their families goes back to her original statement that they did “something stupid,” as if they locked themselves out of their house or forgot their homework. They committed a crime that was cruel, morally reprehensible and unjustifiable. I just don’t get all the moaning about what this will do to their futures. They made a choice and it was disgusting and illegal, and they should suffer the consequences for it.
    It seems like she threw this statement together for damage control, but she unintentionally reveals her underlying attitude of boys will be boys. I hope they release the tape, too.

    • Debra says:

      thank you!
      I found that part of her statement just as offensive as blaming the victim.

      that they ‘did something stupid’ and did they deserve what they got??

      she might as well have just said ‘boys will be boys’

  18. SBJ says:

    “For someone to be raped, and at only sixteen ”

    To be raped when you’re adult is okay, then ?

    The “apology” is worse than the original article. She should have said “I am sorry I have been so dumb and ignorant and, next time, I put my foot in my mouth. Now she will have to apologize for the apology

    God help us all…..

    • Kitten Mittens says:

      SBJ
      She has no real grasp on what sexual assault is it seems. The apology is insulting and i’m looking forward to the sexual assault survivors groups throwing everything they have a her. Someone in her PR team probably told her there needs to be some damage control and instead of having someone else write her apology she took the reins. She’s not sorry and has no clue the pain her words have probably caused the family of the victim. Like another poster said. Her words are like salt in an open wound.

  19. Masque says:

    She’s a typical bully. The minute she was called on her bullshit she backed down.

    Also, she has the mentality of a child: “if I lie and say I didn’t say it, then it didn’t happen.”

  20. Faye says:

    What a pathetic excuse for an apology. Sadly, too many people like her.

    I thought of Serena’s comments when I read this story today:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57588940-504083/omar-abdelbadie-univ-of-washington-neurobiology-student-accused-of-raping-girl-12

    In a follow-up article in another source (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Charge-UW-biology-student-raped-12-year-old-4607366.php), they quoted him as saying he raped the girl because she was “dressed provocatively” and that she “seduced” him.

    We all have to work on changing the kind of culture that encourages victim-shaming.

    • Vine says:

      That is horrifying.

    • msw says:

      How can you seduce someone when you’re blimd drunk? God.

      “I’m sorry, officer, she wasn’t dressed the right way. What was i supposed to do, not rape her?” Do these people not realize how ridiculous it is to blame the victim, as if they have no autonomy over their bodies or their brains?

  21. C... says:

    To play the Devil’s Advocate…

    This might be what she intended to say but couldn’t properly convey:

    Women need to be careful and aware of their surroundings. In a perfect world, you should be able to drink your ass off, black out and Nothing should happen. A guy would help you get home safely and that’s it. But in reality we are suppossed to trust others with our safety. Hell no. And I’m not blaming any victims. I think what she was saying is we all need street smarts and try to avoid potential situations. And if for any reason anything does happen, rapists should be punished to the full extent of the law- no off for good behavior, lifetime ankle bracelet, etc…

    I don’t know maybe i’m giving her too much credit…

    • UsedToBeLulu says:

      You are giving her too much credit.

    • lw says:

      I agree with you and hope that was what she was trying to say. You do not have to be a “victim-blamer” to assert that women and young girls should take care. I live in a college town where it is quite routine to see 18 year old girls falling down the street drunk after the bars close. They are scantily dressed, and virtually incoherent. Would these gals be at fault if they were raped? Of course not. But there’s something to be said for not putting oneself in that sort of extremely vulnerable position.

      • FLORC says:

        Yes you should be mindful of how you’re presenting yourself, but just because you’re enticing and easy picking doesn’t make it any less a crime.

        This is so common and too many people look to the victim for anything to say “well, if you didn’t do this then that wouldn’t have happened”.

        I strongly doubt Serena was trying to say anything other than what she said… and then reiterated in her apology.

        Last bit. My heart goes out to all those who were assaulted. It sucks and it’s never easy. Excuses used to defend the rapist always attack the victims. She dressed to entice, she danced provocatively, She wasn’t a virgin and drank so she’s not as innocent as she claims. All BS. Sexual assault is a violent crime and it’s not done strictly because a girl was fall down drunk with a short skirt. It’s done because someone feels they can do what they like to another person without their consent.

      • Penguin says:

        It doesn’t matter how intoxicated or scantily clad you are. No one has the right to touch you without consent.

  22. stellalovejoydiver says:

    Oh, STFU a**hole.

    Why would you be sorry for the families of those rapists. They actually got away pretty well, only a mild sentence and the media was in favor for those pos, the coverage was mainly about how the life of those promising high school athletes was ruined. SMH.

    • lisa says:

      does she feel sorry for the people who shot her sister?

      does she feel like her sister should have known better than to sit in a car in a bad neighborhood, of course she got shot – i bet she doesnt

  23. Starrywonder says:

    You know what I wish for once these celebrities would own what they said once they realize that the rest of the public thinks they suck.

    I hope Rolling Stone releases the tape so she can look like more of a fool than she already does.

    Blaming the victim is not OK. Who cares that she was drinking with friends underage? It does not make it OK that boys and girls from her school watched as she was raped by several boys, then was harassed about it after it happened, and had people posting videos of her attack online.

    FU Serena!

  24. Green Is Good says:

    BACK-PEDAL! Back-Pedal,SERENA!

    Too late. We all know her real feelings about Asian people AND young girls who are victims of rape.

    She must be in danger of losing some of her lucrative endorsement deals.

    • CC says:

      Wow, she’s a racist towards Asians? You’d think a black woman would be able to relate to other minorities. but I guess it’s just not ok for her if her or her loved ones are the victims of racial profiling, and assault, etc. Disgusting, bigoted woman.

      • bluecalling says:

        gosh, the lies are spewing. she was NOT. in the article she is doing her nails and the person providing the service is asian (i guess) and does not speak english well. the manager asks her if she wants a new person. She says absolutely not, we are perfectly fine. she did the OPPOSITE of what you are writing so please, get it right.

      • lisa says:

        that comes from her 09 attack of the linesperson not this article

  25. shitler says:

    She’s just as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside. I’ve had it with this woman’s cun*iness. From cussing out tennis umpires, being a sore loser & making cryptic remarks dissing her tennis rivals enough of this bully

  26. siobhan says:

    Her apology makes no sense. She seems to acknowledge what she said was wrong but then says she didn’t say was she was quoted as saying. Either way her apology just adds more fuel to the fire. Didn’t Lindsay Lohan cry foul about being misquoted in a magazine interview only to have the interviewer threaten to release the tapes of her recording?

  27. annaloo. says:

    The apologies of today are non apologies, and words come so cheaply to many people in the public eye.

    “I’m a not a …..,”
    “that’s not what I said,”
    “I apologize if others misunderstood…”

    Yes, you are. Yes, you did, and no you’re not. You’re only sorry you were called out on it.

    There are no such thing as sincere apologies anymore, it seems.

    • msw says:

      Not from jackasses, anyway.

      I love tennis and she’s an amazing player, but she is such an ass on and off the court, i just want her to lose every time.

  28. menlisa says:

    This is an apology?!?

    I hope RS does release the tape, if the interview was recorded.

    *Urge Nike to Drop Serena Williams as a Spokesperson*

    http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/urge-nike-to-drop-serena?source=c.url&r_by=8061853

    • Maxine says:

      Signed. Thanks for the link.

    • Erinn says:

      Signed. And I tweeted Nike that they’ve lost a customer.

    • Feebee says:

      Unfortunately it has to be really really really baaaaad for Nike to give a shit. Look how long they stuck with Armstrong. According to Forbes in 2011, Kobe had a contract with them for 28 million. They’re still tight with Tiger Woods. And just because they’re a*holes GMA showed a Nike-LeBron James shoe with 2 time champion stamped on the insole. He’s only won one NBA championship. Man I wish the Spurs had put them to bed last night.

  29. Nerd Alert says:

    OH, okay. She’s sorry, guys. She’s not even sure if she said it, but she’s sorry if she did! It’s all better now.

  30. Jayna says:

    “supposedly said” just now negates everything in the apology. And some of the apology was written by her PR person or personal lawyer probably.

    At least Hugh Grant went on Leno and never denied he was out on the road looking for a blowjob and got caught or never denied he was a douchebag on Stewart’s show or whoever it was. He came out and admitted he was and said he deserved being called out. How refreshing not to put a spin on it.

    If Serena would have said, after reading my remarks in print, I’m ashamed of myself for implying that and didn’t mean it to come out that way so harshly and have taken time to reflect, I would have respect for her. Instead just a PR release with her CYA “supposedly,” aka allegedly, disclaimer in there.

  31. MrsM says:

    It will be interesting to see what the reaction here in the Steubenville area will be.

    Trent Mays, by the way, has to register as a sex offender every six months for the next 20 years.

  32. betty says:

    Serena has a right to her opinion like most of us whether you agree or disagree. Young women need to take responsibility for their actions and behavior. We don’t live in a perfect world and danger lurks when we walk out the door. Some foolish people don’t think anything can happen to them. So when you are out drinking and partying be aware of your surroundings and the people you are with. Drink responsibly. Get your own drinks and if you put it down to dance or whatever get a fresh drink. Common sense plays an importance part in ones safety and this goes for men and women. Things happen that we have no control over but we do have control over how we respond.

    • Lama says:

      This is all nice and seemingly well-intentioned advice, but what happens when the people who you’ve trusted as your friends set you up (as it happened in this case). Obviously we should all be careful, but most sexual assaults are perpetrated by family and friends of the victim. Common sense can only get you so far, unless we should advocate that no one trust anyone else.

    • kc454 says:

      EXACTLY Betty! You phrased it PERFECTLY!!

    • Faye-D says:

      I think your missing the fact that regardless of if you have been drinking regardless of if you walk home alone its not the womans fault for being raped. The fact is that 2/3’s of all rape cases are committed by somebody you already know not all rapists are slipping something in your drink or lurking round the streets. We keep forgetting that rape is a horrific crime we tell women not to get raped but we don’t tell our men not to rape. There was a statisitc that showed 1 in 20 men don’t even know the simple rules of consent why is that? Rape is rape its not about keeping ourselves safe its about stopping the men who do these crimes.

    • videli says:

      Here we go again. Serena has a right to her opinion. Her opinion is crap. She is let known right now that her opinion is crap.

      BTW, a passive, reactive attitude like yours is never going to change society. And self-righteousness when it comes the ‘right’ moves is not a guarantee against sexual assault.

    • Nerd Alert says:

      Well, yes, everybody has the right to their own opinion (I hate that statement, such a cop-out).

      My opinion is that those boys were responsible, not the girl. Bad things happen, in general, when bad people DO THEM.

  33. RHONYC says:

    anything short of saying those f*ckers should have their dicks cut off & put in a box shipped to their victim is a cop out.

    i can’t believe Serena is so disgusting in her views. but, then again Paula Deen has fell from my graces this week too, so there ya go…

    smh 😡

    • Masque says:

      Edited: I just googled Paula and HOLY CRAP! She and Serena should have lunch, compare notes and see which one is the bigger asshole.

    • L says:

      What did paula deen do? *runs off to google*

      Oh my GOD. That’s awful.

    • I Choose Me says:

      Not terribly surprised about Paula Deen. Been hearing that she’s a racist pos for a while now. That and the whole waiting to announce her diabetes AFTER she’d scored an endorsement deal with a drug company. The woman is a shady, unapologetic arsehole.

      • Jayna says:

        You know part of it I’m not surprised by, she’s older and probably brought up racist, but her ignorant excuses and reasoning for wanting black waiters all dressed up and describing the word slave for the era she wanted the as serving at the wedding is mind-boggling because she seems clueness how vile it was and her glossing over her use of racist terms. It’s the lack of remorsefulness that gets me and her answers defending it.

        I, too, was turned off by her hiding her diabetes while schilling her fattening food and then signing on with a very lucrative endorsement deal for a diabetes drug as her coming out and announcing it, not anything to do with a healthier diet until later when called out for her hypocrisy. Although, I have nothing against non-diet cookbooks. There’s a place for every kind of cookbook, except some of her 5,000 calorie gross stuff I have seen her do.

        I always liked Paula, but this deposition is beyond disturbing. I can’t see how this won’t affect her credibility as that sweet, harmless Southern woman, but maybe her target audience will ignore it. I don’t know.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Not surprised at ALL by Deen’s comments. I’ve been saying for a long time that beneath her cheery southern exterior lies a simmering demon….she’s also one of the most unintelligent women on the planet. I just wish the Food Network would drop her ass already and show more “Chopped”.

      • RHONYC says:

        me thinks Samuel L. said it best in ‘Pulp Fiction’:

        “…A CHARMING MOTHAF*CKIN’ PIG.” 🙁

    • K says:

      OMG. No words.

  34. emmie_a says:

    I hope her sponsors drop her (Nike, for one, pays her $55 MILLION) She obviously has no remorse and isn’t man enough to take responsibility for her ignorance so hit her where it hurts — her bank account.

    • Denise says:

      “Man enough”?

      Anyway, her statement is badly worded with an inappropriate exclamation point, which seems like something she’d do. Sounds like she wrote it, not a publicist. If it was, she needs to sack her team.

    • Stacy says:

      That’s the ONLY reason her PR firm responded so quickly, they knew this was a PR nightmare and might cost her endorsements.

      Serena is an immature jackass. I doubt she is sorry for anything she said. She never is. When she threatened that linesperson at the U.S. Open and threatened to shove a tennis ball down her throat, it took her DAYS to apologize and it was a half-assed apology at that.

  35. grabbyhands says:

    Way to not take responsibility for it.

    She immediately blames Rolling Stone and then issues a weak non-apology. I’m only surprised it didn’t contain the classic “I’m sorry if people were offended” line.

  36. PortlandJan says:

    There’s no “supposedly” about it, you sorry excuse for a woman. You SAID it, now own it.

  37. Samigirl says:

    You said it. No supposedly. You said it, and I hope your career never goes back to where it was. I hope your sponsors drop you too. You are a TERRIBLE person.

  38. Ag says:

    Jesus. Yet another awful celebrity, huh? I know nothing about Ms. Williams as a person (and not much as an athlete), but that RS statement was despicable.

  39. Leek says:

    What a rude, not little at all, pig. I wrote my termination letter to Nike last night. We’ll be visiting the Puma store for back to school shoes this year.

  40. Kim says:

    If Rolling Stone did skewer her words about her saying the victim was partially to blame, she should sue them! Magazines are known to twist words often so Ill give her benefit of doubt until Rolling Stone comes forward and says she did indeed say those exact words & can prove it (they tape all interviews). If they dont, then we all know they twisted the words and the editor should be fired and Rolling Stone should be banned! If I was her and really didnt say those words I would not let it go w Rolling Stone. We’ll see what happens & know who is telling the truth

    • Lama says:

      The interviewer just put out a statement saying that the comment/interview is on tape. If I wasn’t on my phone, I would include the link.

      • Kim says:

        Thx for the info. I hope Rolling Stone releases the tape to prove she did then so we can all boycott her & all her sponsors (if they dont dump her). If they have it on tape but she is saying they twisted her words then she is just digging her whole deeper & deeper by saying it in the first place then lying about saying it. Unbelievable!

    • Meanchick says:

      Good idea. Lets wait to see what RS has to say.

  41. poppy says:

    NO.
    non-apology is NOT good enough.

    she should have just said she was talking out her a$$, being an insensitive jerk and she can completely understand why people are calling her a POS rape apologist.
    she should have went on to say that athletes, especially herself, should NEVER tolerate or make excuses for abuse in any form; because athletes are held to such high esteem they should be MORE VIGILANT about policing themselves and each other.
    she should have continued by stating there should be zero tolerance for what we all know is inexcusable behavior towards another human being. that what those “athletes” did to their victim is unforgivable and shames their whole sport, shames all team players, shames all athletes.
    she should have then finished it up with:
    i’m sorry and i will never forgive myself for speaking so ignorantly, for blaming the victim of multiple instances of abuse, blaming a CHILD for her abuse and the gleeful sharing of the abuse, and for making excuses for the perpetrators.

    how did serena williams not know better? way to dig that hole even deeper.
    so freaking angry.

    the only person that has a right to forgive those awful excuses for men is the victim herself.

  42. Green Eyes says:

    There seems to be a lot of Celebrities lately that have lost their empathy or common decency and just need to STFU!!

  43. Mel says:

    It’s not just the rape is shocking. It’s the lack of parental control over a community of children. The lack of intervention on this girls behalf from her friends. That entire group of teens share responsibility what happened to that girl. Serena Williams is not so popular as this could destroy her career. These are remarks not soon to be forgotten. Complete ignorance and arrogance.

    • Feebee says:

      From what I read, and I could be wrong but it was MAYS that was her friend. She wasn’t from that high school so didn’t have her girlfriends around. Which is just a kicker for me. He was the one supposed to protect her not rape her.

  44. Meanchick says:

    Rape culture has a lot of women contributors. I’m shocked she said it, but sickened by her “explanation” and subsequent non-apology-apology.

  45. I Choose Me says:

    Bullsh_t Serena. Own up to what you said and that you were wrong. I’d respect her for that a little bit. This blatant lie to protect her image just makes me rage. Ugh, I need to take a break before my blood pressure rises anymore.

  46. Jayna says:

    “Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid.”

    First sentence of quote, “Do you think it was fair?” Wow. It shows her mindset. Next, “They did somethng stupid.”

    Full details of the night she endured and the callousness of the boys towards her as a human being:

    In the early morning hours of August 12, 2012, a 16-year-old Weirton, West Virginia girl, incapacitated by alcohol, was raped by two high school football players, quarterback Trent Mays and wide receiver Ma’lik Richmond.[2] For a roughly six-hour period the unconscious girl was taken by the teenage boys from one party, photographed nude and semi-nude, assaulted in a car, and taken to a basement where Mays tried to make her perform oral sex.[3] On March 17, 2013, the boys were convicted of rape after the trial judge found they had used their fingers to penetrate her vagina and that it was impossible for the impaired girl to have given consent.[2]

    The victim testified in court that she had no memory of the six-hour period in which the rapes occurred, except for a brief time in which she was vomiting on the street. She said she woke up the next morning naked in a basement living room with Mays, Richmond and another teenage boy, missing her underwear, flip-flops, phone and earrings.[2]

    The evidence presented in court mainly consisted of hundreds of text messages and cellphone pictures that had been taken by more than a dozen people at the parties and afterwards traded with other students and posted to social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and which were described by the judge as “profane and ugly.”[2]

    In a photograph posted on Instagram by a Steubenville High football player, the victim was shown looking unresponsive, being carried by two teenage boys by her wrists and ankles. Former Steubenville baseball player Michael Nodianos tweeted “Song of the night is definitely Rape Me by Nirvana” and “Some people deserve to be peed on,” which was reshared later by several people, including Mays. In a 12-minute video later posted to YouTube, Nodianos and others talk about the rapes, with Nodianos joking that “they raped her quicker than Mike Tyson raped that one girl” and “They peed on her. That’s how you know she’s dead, because someone pissed on her.”[4] In one text, Mays described the victim as “like a dead body” and in another he told the victim that a photo of her lying naked in a basement with semen on her body had been taken by him, and that the semen was his. In a text message to a friend afterwards, he said “I shoulda raped her now that everybody thinks I did,” but “she wasn’t awake enough.”[3] One classmate testified he videotaped with his phone while Mays exposed the victim’s breasts and penetrated her with his fingers in the backseat of a car, and another testified he saw Richmond digitally penetrate the victim while she lay in the basement.[2][5][6]

    In the days following the rapes, according to the New York Times, Mays “seemed to try to orchestrate a cover-up, telling a friend, “Just say she came to your house and passed out,” and pleading with the victim not to press charges.[2]

    Ohio investigators confiscated and analyzed 15 cellphones and two tablets, collecting hundreds of text messages from dozens of students, and interviewed almost 60 people, including students, coaches, school officials and parents

    • K says:

      You know something else? A lot of people offered the victim money, for legal expenses, a college fund, counselling.

      She stated via her lawyer that he was acting pro bono, so she didn’t need money, and asked that people donate to a YWCA abused women’s shelter in the area, who also help and counsel rape victims, instead.

      She’s 16 and she drank too much, as a lot of us did growing up, boys and girls alike. She was with guys she’d known years and trusted. They chose to rape her, and then trash her reputation all over social media. They were calling it rape themselves that same night. They didn’t think anything would happen to them, which is so scary.

      Her response was to call them to account legally, so no other girl would suffer (images of other unconscious girls were found on a phone – the hearing transcript saying as much was in the Daily Mail) and to ask people to donate to a survivor’s charity. The donation link is here: http://ywcawheeling.org/madden-house-donations/ and they have a guestbook for her so people can leave messages, which her lawyer says are being passed to the family when appropriate. It was on the CNN site a couple of months back. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/22/us/iyw-how-to-help-the-steubenville-rape-victim

      If I had to parent one of the kids in this mess, I would a million times rather it be that girl than the shits who did this to her. She tested her limits in a normal way, then stood up for herself and what was right, then used the horrible notoriety to help others. I think that’s impressive when she’s been to hell and back, and will deal with this for so long into her future. She sounds a really good kid.

      • Starrywonder says:

        Good for that young woman and it’s still heartbreaking she had this happen to her especially because of a guy she trusted.

  47. JL says:

    Reaching out to the victim, supporting women’s rights, blah, blah, blah – Anything I could do to support women I have done.

    Let me translate…
    Oh shit, that didn’t go well. Let me placate the masses before I lose my endorsements and support for my fashion line. Anything I can do to support my cash flow, I have done.

    • Faye says:

      Harsh but accurate.

      • JL says:

        Not as harsh as being held down and raped repeatedly….

      • Faye says:

        I didn’t mean it as a criticism at all, @JL. Just meant that when you see it laid out like that, in its harsh truth, you see how awful what Serena said is.

    • Violet says:

      This.

      I bet her PR team got Serena to issue this “apology” over her objections, with her accountant pointing out all the endorsements she might lose if she didn’t at least pretend to be sorry.

      For shame, Serena.

    • JL says:

      @ Faye,
      I didn’t take it as a criticism at all!
      My point was she’s squirming over a PR snafu , denying all responsibility for her actions while accusing a 16 yr old rape victim and telling her she’s partly to blame?
      She’s whining and the flak she’s getting can;t even begin to compare to being raped.

  48. Faye says:

    I should probably stay away from this topic at this point, but I am truly shaken not only by Serena’s comments (especially the “Was she a virgin?” one), but some of the responses here basically placing the blame on the girl.

    I don’t think it even needs to be stated that women should exercise good judgement and practice safety measures – as should EVERYBODY, all the time. But if our first reaction as a society upon hearing about a rape (especially a horrific one like this) is to start expounding on ways the woman could/should have prevented it, we’re really only a few ideological steps away from societies where they practice honor killing and say the girls/women brought shame to their families by not somehow preventing their rapes. I may be very naive, but I really, truly hope that America is better than that.

    This is an issue that should unite all women, regardless of their backgrounds. I am an Orthodox Jew who never got drunk in her life and always dressed fairly conservatively/modestly, I was a virgin before marriage (since Serena questioned that), and NONE of those things makes me any potentially less at risk for rape than anybody else. I have a close childhood friend who was just like me in all those respects, and unfortunately she was raped — she was attacked in her work parking lot and dragged into the woods, and it wasn’t even fully dark out yet! She lives a full and productive life, and they caught the perpetrator, but she told me there are still nights when she wakes up shaking and in a cold sweat. This is an issue everybody has to stand up against and demand justice for.

    As for the people who say they’re not blaming the women, just being “concerned” about them: when you read about robberies, is your first instinct to ask if the victims had good enough home security systems? If you hear about assault, do you ask if the people who were beaten up did something to provoke the assault? If not, if you only have that kind of reaction to rape stories, then yes, you are being anti-woman.

    Sorry for the rant – obviously, this is a topic that touched a nerve.

    • lisa says:

      faye, i feel the same way. it makes me so sad that people feel it is acceptable to pick apart the victim.

    • K says:

      What really weirds me out is they basically amount to, “if he didn’t pick some other girl, you must have been doing something wrong.” Fact is, rapists will rape. And people sit around arguing about the way they select their victims, instead of why some cultures have so much worse of a problem than others.

      The depressing thing is that the only successful method to cut rape incidence was to aim a big campaign on consent at young guys. They did it and it worked, in Canada. 10% drop inside 6 months. Yet we’re still talking about the victims’ behavior.

  49. JL says:

    OMG, I got on chat with HSN who sells her stuff and this is the response I got.

    JL D: Given Serena Williams horrendous accusations in Rolling Stone magazine about the sixteen year old rape victim, I will no longer be able to support her lines of goods or any company promoting them. What is HSNs response to the Rolling Stones Story?

    Marianne: HSN is proud to be accepting of people with differing views and opinions. This is true of our customer base, and certainly the brands and personalities we bring to our wonderful customers. I understand the importance of your concern and appreciate that you have shared it with us. Your concern has been forwarded to the appropriate department and will be reviewed thoroughly. Suggestions and feedback such as yours contribute to the overall success of our company. I encourage you to continue sharing your ideas with us in the future.

    Marianne: HSN has not issued any comment.

    JL D: Ok, I’m sure you won’t mind if I copy and paste that info in other forums just for info.

    Marianne: Sure, you may copy this response and post it.

  50. betty says:

    @Nerd alert Everyone is responsible for their own behavior. Saying that everyone in America does it as a teen is not correct or is not a responsible statement. Too many teenage deaths have occurred and also teenager drunk drivers due to underage drug and alcohol use. The problem is with the parents because some have no clue what their kids are doing.and some even encourage it. Just shows the sign of the times when too many things are acceptable that shouldn’t be.

  51. Feebee says:

    I think this statement makes things worse for Serena. Because just in case people were WTFing over her first set of comments but prepared to give her a sliver of the benefit of the doubt, this has just confirmed there is no need. She is indeed the person who not only made the original statement but believes every word of it and is too dumb to figure it out or too arrogant to care. I’m going for a little of both.

    Someone will ask her about it in her next (1,2 or 4) press outings and she’ll put on her quiet introspective voice… god knows what she’ll say at this point, probably that she wants to focus on tennis. I hope this ruins her Wimbledon concentration.

  52. aenflex says:

    Sometimes even fame, fortune and physical ability can’t wipe the trash from a person.

    • Meredith says:

      I’m not saying Serena is trash but there are plenty of things she has no knowledge of and this is one of them. So she should have just neutral (“It’s a terrible situation but I don’t feel I should comment further”) or not said anything at all. A lot of athletes get training from their agents or somebody on how to deal with the press. Sometimes they sound a little wooden but I guess that’s better than sounding like Serena did with this reporter. She is ignorant on this topic (i.e. not really knowing much about sexual assault/abuse/women’s rights/the law) and she showed it big time. Time to go back to hitting tennis balls, honey.

      This reminds me of the saying “Better to be thought a fool and keep your mouth shut than to open your mouth (speak) and remove all doubt”. Not much doubt about Serena right now. Fool.

  53. BeesKness says:

    This is just a general comment aimed at many people here who seem to be victim blaming. When I was a freshman in college, I was brought to a mixer by my roommate. She played soccer and knew a lot of guys who played soccer and the party was at a house full of male soccer players. I was not a big drinker, and I noticed that there were a lot of girls there who were falling down drunk. I had about two beers in the span of an hour and one of the guys asked me if I wanted another. I said sure and he handed it to me. I went to watch my roommate play beer pong and I started to feel woozy and started to stumble. I headed for the stairs trying to leave the house and began tripping and stumbling. She mocked me and called me a lightweight. By the time I made it upstairs, I had blacked out. I woke up, covered in vomit, in a bedroom with my clothes half on covered in a towel and my hair disheveled. I started to get up and walk out when a guy yelled “hey slut, wrong room!” I stumbled back and another guy threw me my clothes and started to drag me out of the house. I was sore and bruised and bleeding. I started to try to walk toward my dorm when I guy who had the hots for my roommate saw me and yelled “hey dumbass, if security sees you this drunk you are going to get in trouble.” He started to help me walk home, but I kept stumbling until he finally said “I give up, learn to control yourself when you drink from now on” and he walked away. I somehow made it back to my dorm. When my roommate showed up the next morning, she yelled at me for leaving the key in the door. I told her what happened and she told me I obviously had a problem with handling liquor and that I better not try to say any of the guys on the soccer team did anything to me. For a very long time, I believed that what happened was my fault. I didn’t report it and I tried to ignore it. It was not until years later talking to a therapist that I realized that I had been drugged and that it was not my fault. Yes women need to watch out for their surroundings and to be careful at all times, but men should also NOT RAPE WOMEN!! Someone said something earlier like if you leave your front door open, don’t be surprised if you get robbed. Well, what gives someone the right to rob someone’s house just because they left their door open? I was raped 12 years ago, and all these comments that somehow insinuate that it is in someway the victim’s fault feel like I am getting stabbed in the heart. No young girls should drink to excess and they should be careful of their surroundings but NO ONE deserves to get raped! NO ONE.

    I’m sorry if this was tl;dr, but I wanted to give a victim’s perspective and show what victim blaming truly does.

    • Meredith says:

      beeknees : you truly were the innocent victim in what happened. And that is why SW’s comments piss me off so much. If the people at your party or the other girl’s party had been decent people instead of slimy criminals disguised as “nice” people in clean clothes from “good” homes, nothing bad would have happened to anyone. But they weren’t. Those guys in Stuebenville were criminals! They committed a criminal act and they received a criminal punishment. Simple enough. Whoever assaulted you was a criminal and I am sorry they did not receive a criminal punishment.

    • erika says:

      damn it.

      i sincerely wish you all the strength and hope in what i imagine is an ongoing recovery –that no matter how many years ago one continues to recover from a brutal rape. although i get the feeling that you are already a triumphantly strong woman for having to endure what was so brutally wrong.best.

  54. Joney Says says:

    Serena is right; and she was not blaming the victim at all. These magazine interviews can be tricky because no matter what you say, it will always be misconstrued. Rape is never justified, and is never caused by the victim. What Serena was saying is you need to practice “SITUATIONAL AWARENESS . If you are going to place yourself in a vulnerable position, you need to know that you can protect yourself or, more importantly, that the people you are with will protect you. Rape has been around as long as humans have walked the earth. To simply say that men should not do this is really naive. You wouldn’t leave your car unlocked as there may be thieves about, and you wouldn’t walk alone in a bad neighborhood either in case you get mugged. Why is this situation any different? What happened to that girl is terrible and inexcusable – why can’t we say that and also say that she made some bad mistakes that evening that contributed to her victimization? The girl made a bad choice the boys made a criminal choice. There should be nothing wrong with promoting accountability for your own personal safety and well-being, particularly among women.

    • lisa says:

      if that is what she was saying, why does she question if the sentence was fair and refer to CONVICTED RAPISTS as alleged rapists?

    • HK9 says:

      The world has been a dangerous place sine humans have walked the earth. So are you going to practice situational awareness and stop leaving your house? You’re ridiculous.

    • Stacy says:

      Did you know that Serena’s older half-sister Yetunde Price was gunned down in
      a drive-by-shooting in 2002? She was with her drug dealing, gang member boyfriend and he got into an argument with a rival gang member late at night.

      The man shot at the boyfriend’s SUV aiming for the boyfriend but shot and killed Yetunde instead.

      I wonder what Serena (or any of her deluded, loser fans of hers like yourself) would say if I gave a statement that Yetunde should have protected herself and stayed away from drug dealers and gang bangers and is responsible for her own death. What would Serena say if I told her that I think the punishment her sister’s killer received was way too “harsh” because, you know, it’s Yetunde’s fault she got herself killed. Yetunde shouldn’t have been “stupid” like that, right?

      But I would never say that to Serena because it is in no way Yetunde’s fault that she was murdered so callously. And it is no way this girl’s fault she was raped.

      You’re putting most of the blame on this 16-year-old who knew the people she was with and thought she was among friends when in fact they betrayed her by raping her, peeing on her, taking videos and pics of her passed out and being humiliated and defiled in every nasty way possible.

      I weep for humanity at times when we are putting ALL the burden on a 16-year-old girl instead of the people who brutalized her.

  55. lovegossip says:

    Wasn’t her sister murdered while hanging out with drug dealers or something like that? So by her thought process, is it her sister’s fault she was murdered because she was doing something she shouldn’t of been doing? Don’t get mad at me, I don’t feel that way at all, but she can’t have it both ways! 🙁

    • lisa says:

      i said this upthread, i would love to hear someone ask her about that. imo she’s a hypocrite among other things.

      • lovegossip says:

        Totally Lisa. I so agree! I looked before I posted about it, but didn’t see yours. Great minds….. 😉 (ours not hers haha)

    • Stacy says:

      I asked the same thing above (you guys were quicker than me though).

      Can you imagine the outrage that would occur if someone were to ask Serena to her face if she felt the sentence given to her sister’s killer was too “harsh” or implied that her sister was to blame for her murder?

      • lisa says:

        i’d love for some one to ask her that in a presser then ask how the 2 situations are different

  56. Bess says:

    I can’t even figure what Serena’s point was in her non-apology apology. Is she saying she was misquoted? Were her words taken out of context?

  57. Str8Shooter says:

    What a nasty bitch. End of story.

  58. drdoolittling says:

    She’s right. she didn’t insinuate; she flat-out STATED. I don’t care what kind of prompt question was asked, that was a ludicrous answer.

  59. Lucy2 says:

    Damage is done- that none apology, direct from a PR person, doesn’t change what she said and the way of thinking behind it.

  60. TOPgirl says:

    Serena is a cold hearted woman. Probably an unhappy person too for her to say that. Her apology is insensitive and unapologetic. She should write a an unapologetic song with Rihanna.

  61. GByeGirl says:

    Her statements don’t surprise me since she was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. They are very into victim blaming. For instance, if a woman is raped and she doesn’t fight off her attacker to the death, or scream at an appropriate volume, she is guilty of fornication and will get disfellowshipped (shunned).

  62. LeeBlaylock says:

    Go to hell, Serena!

  63. Sachi says:

    This pseudo apology from Serena’s PR team reminds me of another common non-apology:

    “I’m sorry IF I offended anyone.”

    People who say this are not really sorry for their words/actions, they’re just sorry that people called them out on their sh*t.

    I find it really tiresome how celebs/public figures always lay the blame on writers and interviewers about their ‘misconstrued’ statements.

    There’s always gonna be shady writers with an agenda, but if celebs are already aware of this risk, why do they go on answering the questions that are potentially triggering/inflammatory? They can just say, “That is a very sensitive issue and I prefer not to answer.”

    Remember when Kristen Stewart compared being photographed by the paps to being raped? Like WTF? How do you come to that analogy? And then there are those celebs who feel like their opinions would be so welcomed that they just spew whatever the heck they want.

    It’s like they assume the public are idiots who cannot understand the statements for themselves. It’s always, “I know you think you read something I said, but you are wrong. Someone else twisted my words and made me look bad.” It’s always someone else’s fault.

    Just apologize sincerely and stop making excuses.

  64. Ally8 says:

    a) These are ignorant and hurtful statements that show bizarre concern for the perpetrators and seek to cast blame on the victim. Replace the female victim here with straight Joe getting raped by his buddies Bill and Sam at the kegger, and see who thinks Joe is to blame because he was drunk and shouldn’t have gone there.

    b) This is also a common psychological defense mechanism. To believe that something so horrible could never happen to you or anyone you love, you tell yourself that the crime victim was to blame because she did something you would never do. This makes you feel less vulnerable, despite how callous and stupid it makes you sound.

  65. Hipocricy says:

    People who blame or even point the victim’s behaviour, outfit, ect, have as sick as a mindset as rapists …sorry to be blunt for drawing the same comparison but it’s true, they share the same mindset than rapists do when it comes to their excuses for commiting a rape.

    Have you ever followed a trial featuring a rapist/peaodophile ? I have…it’s vomitting, sickening, revolting, despicable, unbearable.

    I remembered once that paedophile trial. He put a stand and was asked to tell the truth and the whole truth after refusing to acknowledge that he raped his 4 years old babygirl, the one he shared custody with his former wife, the one he had during that weekend when it happend, a babygirl who when her mother came to bring her back was crying and had blood running between her thighs..a babygirl whose doctors at the hospital practiced post traumatic tests acknowledging that she had internal vaginal wounds, semen and had been recently deflowered…a babygirl who said it was her father as the semen tests proved a few weeks ago….a 4 YEARS OLD LITTLE GIRL.

    You know what her father response was as to why he did that to her ? That it wasn’t his fault but hers, that she brought it on herself and enticed him with her little dress always walking in front of him, smiling with her little hips balancing…My God, a 4 years old babygirl!

    I have heard the same excuse during a military trial where a military raped a young civilian. He said it wasn’t his fault that she passed by walking with her hips balancing left and right and that he is a man and couldn’t hold his pulsion, that it was the woman’s fault for just exuding sex appeal.

    Fact is you could still be naked in front of a man, cat walking, lapdancing or whatever, hell, you could still be naked in front of YOUR man doing all of that, if you are underage or if you say NO, it’s NO. Any use of force (mental or physical) to submit someone into having sexual intercourses without her consent is a RAPE, RAPE, RAPE, RAPE. And you the victim, being naked before the crime or not is a 100 % VICTIM with the same value of victimhood than a perfectly covered nun would be in the same case.

    To hell with the rapist apologists and their nasty mindset in line with those of those perpetretors !

    Remember, it can happen to anyone of us, from our daughters to our elders (80+ years old get raped too !), to our tramps living on the street and not having a shower for days, it even happened to our pets at times …will you blame it on them too ?.

    It happens in easter Congo to children as young as 3 years old as a war weapon, it happens domestically between spouses, it happens in buses or subways in front of everyone, it happens to students on their ways to school, to children playing on the street or in their backyard, it happens to tourists even when they are accompanied by their man, it doesn’t discreminate once you have a vagina. It happens every second throughout the whole wide world and you rapist apologists are saying that thousands of victims a day brought that to themselves ?

    Don’t offer any breach for the slightest excuse to those a$$holes, ever !

  66. Mrs. Ari Gold says:

    We should email Serena’s sponsors and tell them we will boycott their product until she is dropped.

    • Day Ol' Blues says:

      Yep. And Paula Deen while we’re at it. It’s about time she got fired.

  67. teehee says:

    Adding to the comments is kind of pointless, but I will say, I love a comment I once read here not too long ago, that sounded like this
    “If you are being a dumbass, does that give me the right to shoot you?”

    While I also believe nothing in the world justifies someone else’s being attacked or harmed, especially when they have zero potential to protect themselves, I do see the ‘other side’ of her words, which was pointing to the larger, societal problem that is behind these kind of actions. Why are younger children – children – committing crimes like this against each otehr? Why are all of their peers, thinking alike and saying that a girl is to blame? Etc.

    The situation could in fact be, that kids are raised in a church, and that still wouldnt stop a rapist- in other words, there is no blame but that of the attackers- no matter how diferent the setting may be. BUT- is this the setting we really want our children to grow up in- is this the mentality and behavior we want instilled in them- and if it isnt, then how come the entire school just went along with it (steubenville) and who is really “at fault” here-? All of us, all the parents, not jstu one girl or one boy. Its a societal disease at the moment with roots more comlpex than anyone wants to admit and its only going to get worse as long as the blame gets placed on any single aspect. I can think of one good start: get taht stupid as$ show ‘teen mom’ off the godda**ed airwaves. LOL Its not helping! And all the other garbage we pump out and consume- its not making things better, thats for sure.

  68. Carolyn says:

    When famous people issue “apologies” it’s always someone else who writes it for them. PR 101.

    Yet another case of a celebrity who should be seen and not heard. Who cares what Serena actually thinks about anything other than tennis? Especially when it’s verbal diarrhea like both sets of statements. Non-Team Serena.

  69. Flounder says:

    She’s a creep. I hope rolling stone calls her out on it,

  70. Jag says:

    They aren’t “accused” rapists, they were convicted! And like you said, I hope the recorded interview is released because she did say those horrible things. It really makes me wonder about women who can be so incredibly callous and hateful toward other women. I’ve never liked her much and now she’s on my “they’re disgusting pigs of pseudo humanity” list, such as Mel Gibson.