This wasn't a hook up. And it wasn't rape.
I too bought the "she offered herself to him and he took her up on the offer."
Had that been the way it actually played out, then I'd be right there with the rest of you condemning a jock sniffing skank that was trying to punish JJ after she found out he had feelings for another girl and wanted revenge.
In THAT scenario I'd have probably done the same thing when I was 20 being that the only thing I enjoyed more than beer were cute drunk girls who were looking for some fun...Been there, done that, glass houses, yada yada yada...
That's
not how it played out though.
Side Note: If you're too stupid to click the ALL link on the #johnsontrial twitter feed then you're not getting all of tweets because it filters by "Top" tweets by default.
Again for the few who don't understand the basic premise of my admittedly harsh opinion about Jordan being a dirt bag -- IT'S BASED ON HIS OWN TESTIMONY HE GAVE UNDER OATH ON MONDAY.
I realized this after reading through JORDAN'S OWN WORDS on the following twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/KeilaSzpaller
Johnson: Recalls meeting the alleged victim. It was at the forester's ball 2011. #johnsontrial
He met her at the forester's ball in 2011 -- not in 2012 like I originally had heard.
Johnson: Agrees they exchanged numbers, there was mutual interest. #johnsontrial They communicated by text. No calls.
Johnson: Doesn't remember gist of texts. Just how's school going. At some point they decided to see each other. #johnsontrial
Johnson: He didn't meet her roommate, she didn't meet his. They arranged get togethers through texts. #johnsontrial Movie, icecream, kissing
Johnson: Got together five or six times that spring. Once he tried to unbutton her pants. "She said no, and I stopped." #johnsontrial
Johnson: Saw her once or twice after that, then they went their separate ways for a while. #johnsontrial A little texting, maybe.
So this wasn't a one night hook up, walk of shame the next morning, let's pretend this didn't happen type thing.
He took the time to actually develop a relationship with this girl.
I am NOT saying he should have married the girl at this point, but I am saying it was beyond the "hey I don't know you that well, but we're both here and we're both drunk so let's see what you look like naked..." phase.
Fast forward to the 2011 football season...
Johnson: Woman texted him after one of the games and said good job. He texted her after a party to ask for a ride. #johnsontrial
Johnson: The woman picked him up, took him home. She asked for a tour, and he showed her around. She left. #johnsontrial No kissing, no hug
What in the hell is it with him asking for rides all the time?
Johnson: He believes the next time they talked was around Christmas. In the meantime, he was getting to know another person. #johnsontrial
Johnson: Winter break is five or six weeks, and he went home to spend time with family. kept contact with Kelly (sp) by text.
Johnson: Kept up contact with alleged victim, too, maybe every other day during break. Stopped when school was in session. #johnsontrial
Johnson: Kelly came to visit him and so did a roommate while on break. #johnsontrial
Johnson: He and the woman were texting at the time but it died down when Kelly showed up. He realized he liked Kelly a lot. #johnsontrial
This would have been a good time to either break off contact with the alleged victim or just grow a set and tell her he's not interested in anything more than being friends.
At least that way he could keep asking for rides I suppose...
Jumping ahead to forester's ball in Feb 2012 --
Johnson: Agreed he got together with Kelly at forester's ball. They danced often, kissed on the dance floor. #johnsontrial
Johnson: Saw the woman there. She came over and gave him a hug. He was happy to see her. He danced with her later, maybe 1x. #johnsontrial
Johnson: Woman asked him if he wanted to get fake married at the ball. #johnsontrial He said sure. There was a long line.
Johnson: They were in line, but they saw their respective friends and parted ways. #johnsontrial Woman saw him dancing with Kelly.
Johnson: He danced with one of the woman's friends. Danced more with Kelly. Then he went home. #johnsontrial Evening recess.
Again these are his words. And they refute the premise that I had originally heard. I still do not believe it was rape and I agree that he's more than paid the price for the mistakes that he made.
That being said, as I read his words I found myself feeling surprisingly sympathetic towards the girl. At the same time I was pissed at Jordan for being such a selfish ass. A dirt bag.
I am a father of a very pretty young woman who I will be sending off to college far too quickly and the thought of her being used that way by some dirt bag makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe that's why I'm interpreting this the way that I am -- because I'm seeing things through the eyes of a father.
And who knows, maybe I'll change my mind when I hear the rest of his testimony. No matter what he says though, it's his testimony thus far that ultimately shaped my opinion.
You don't have to agree with me. You can call me names too. That's okay. I opened myself to that when I shared my opinion and feelings on this forum the way I did. I actually expected far worse.
I don't believe Jordan raped that girl on that fateful night. I believe she gave herself to him willingly because she truly liked him. Which to me makes the whole story even more tragic.
And him an even bigger dirt bag.