HookedonGriz said:
PlayerRep said:
Okay, show us the texts and explain what the circumstances were. You know they were pretty good friends, don't you?
Okay, a guy, who is a friend of a woman, is texting with the woman at a hotel. The man and woman are not in the same company, ie she doesn't work for him. She is responding. He texts her to come down to the bar and have a drink so he can see more of her. You think that is something horrible?
And then she doesn't complain about this. She waits multiple months, gets a new job out of state, and then makes a formal complaint about him in MT.
Let's see the texts. Let's have a discussion. Not saying what the guy did was right, or not stupid, or cool, but don't think what she did was cool either.
Like I said...if you can’t see the purpose and intent behind these, I can’t help you. I know you’re a lawyer and just like to argue sometimes for the sake of an argument, but you can’t be so blinded by “wanting an argument” that you can’t truly see this dude was a full on Creeper:
Sanderson texted:
“Come down here. We can get drunk and make bad decisions! Lol!!!”
“Looks like we have a love connection!!”
“Don’t fight it…”
Just responded to the last text with, “Considering I’m not interested…”
“Got someone else you’re interested in? Hmmmmmmmmmmm? I’m nosey!” Sanderson replied.
“I f--king hate you,” Just replied.
“No you don’t. You LOVE me… And you know it! Hahahaha It’s ok, I won’t tell!” Sanderson replied.
A couple hours later, at 3:19 a.m., Sanderson sent another text to Just.
“We have a shoot around at 9. If you wanna get together at like 10:30, I’d love to see more of you Lol…I’m trying SO hard not to say something inappropriately flirty. Haha. I don’t care really. Where would you want to go?”
Couple that with Just saying he grabbed her ass and reporting it to friends immediately after it happened, who said she was visibly shaken and it’s not hard to see this for what it is.
These texts happened over a several hour period one night on the road at a hotel [in Feb. 2018]. While I am fine with this guy being moved on what for things with the reporter, and I have consistently said that, I just don't see that what has been made public makes him a POS or creeper or whatever. He made some mistakes. He paid a price.
Butts get grabbed all the time. While someone in his situation should never have done that, and there is no excusing it in that situation, I generally don't see grabbing a butt as the crime of the century.
Some questions for you. Why did she continue to respond to him that night in Feb.? Why did she wait for multiple months to complain about him to MSU [she filed complaint in Sept.]? Why did she wait to file her complaint until she had another job and new she was moving out of state? Why didn't she complain earlier, if this guy was so horrible to her?
"...committed multiple acts of sexual misconduct and harassment” in February 2018 and again at the Big Sky Conference football meetings in July in Spokane, Washington."
There is so such thing as sexual harassment between two people outside of an employment, school, etc relationship, to my knowledge. It's a bit broader than that pure employment/school/etc. Outside of that, the behavior has to fall into a different category, like assault (minor assault). Grabbing a butt is minor assault.
MSU has said they don't have to furnish the records of the proceedings, because this guy was not in a position of trust under MT law. I continue to wonder (not doubt) what MSU's jurisdiction was for conducting a Title IX. While I am not a Title IX expert, this just doesn't seem like a Title IX situation. Neither party was employed by MSU, to my knowledge. This isn't a big deal; I'm just curious.
If the report comes out, I will read it. I would love to see the whole text exchange between the two that night.
Sexual harassment:
A definition.
From the EEOC website. Note the term "workplace".
"Federal Laws prohibit workplace discrimination and are enforced by EEOC."
"Sexual Harassment
It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.
Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.
Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).
The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer."