Football signs controversial recruit
Source says recruit is still serving probation following juvenile court conviction in sexual battery case
(EDITOR’S NOTE: By practice, The Eagle does not reveal the names of juveniles in juvenile criminal cases.)
Thousands of Casper, Wyoming, residents have signed an online petition supporting a sexual battery victim, a minor female, who was assaulted in April 2021 by a CSC football recruit, also a minor at the time, but who is still serving probation following his juvenile court conviction in the case.
Although documents in the court case, adjudicated last year in Natrona County Juvenile Court, are sealed, The Eagle learned from multiple sources Wednesday that the recruit’s probation runs through August 2022.
CSC head football coach Jay Long confirmed March 16 that the prospect, who was among 29 recruits who signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) on Feb. 2, is receiving a scholarship.
“It’s not a full ride,” Long said. “I don’t really ever talk about that (scholarship amount) to the media whenever a kid is on scholarship.”
Long declined to comment about the recruit’s juvenile case or other allegations against him.
CSC’s College Relations Director Alex Helmbrecht said in a March 15 email that the college is dedicated to maintaining a safe campus for both students and employees and that CSC can’t release information about an individual student in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Paula Duran of Casper, the grandmother of the minor female victim and one of the online petition’s signers, confirmed Wednesday that her granddaughter was indeed the victim in the case.
Duran, the victim’s father and many others voiced outrage about the issue during the public comment section of the March 14 meeting of the Natrona Country School District Board of Trustees in Casper. A video recording of that meeting is still posted on the district’s YouTube channel.
“My granddaughter, who attends Kelly Walsh High School, was sexually battered and assaulted by a young man on April 10, 2021,” Duran said at the meeting. “I feel the Natrona County school district has failed to hold this young man accountable for his actions. She (Duran’s granddaughter) has not been the same since. She’s quiet, she did not want to do anything. She quit gymnastics, hanging out with her friends.”
On Wednesday, Duran confirmed the outcomes of the case.
“We finally got word that (the recruit) was put on probation Dec. 14, 2021, for eight months, so, it goes until Aug. 14, 2022,” Duran said Wednesday evening. “The actual charges (against him), for my granddaughter, are sexual assault and battery. I’m not trying to ruin his life, but he needs to be held accountable for his actions.”
As of 8 p.m., Wednesday, the online petition, created March 5, had collected 4,379 signatures and hundreds of comments against – and in favor of – the recruit.
In addition, an email sent to The Eagle Wednesday, March 16, from Casper resident Pamela Kandt expressed anger about the news that the recruit had been awarded a scholarship.
“My husband is now an embarrassed alumni of the institution and I will ensure that any aspiring teacher I know will NEVER attend that college,” Kandt wrote.
In a March 21 email to The Eagle, the recruit’s father dismissed the petition.
“The comments and petition is social media rumor and poison,” he wrote. “I’m sure there’s something much more valuable for CSC and the students who attend and plan to attend that you could write an article about.”
I feel like The Eagle has done a fantastic job for bringing this issue to light as well as showing that we do have these problems that happen right here at CSC. To me, it directly shows just how athletic teams, both big on the Division 1 level as well as on our small Division 2 level, care more about potentially winning their games by bringing in these controversial convicted students, rather than the safety hazards these potential student-athletes could bring to our campus. It is one thing, as a college level Coach, to sweep some minor alcohol violations under the rug committed by their players, but to actively recruit AND give a scholarship to someone like this is mind boggling to say the least. You then, less than 8 hours after the article being published, have the President of Chadron State College send out a letter to the entire student body and staff, saying how this institution actually does value the safety of their students and then proceeds to speak about how this football recruit will actually not be attending our college. It is fairly sad that it took our student led newspaper to point out what was going on, rather than the administration stepping in before it was required to come to this. Had The Eagle not published this article, I feel nothing would have been done about this now rejected prospective student and we would have all been on campus not knowing the dangers that happen right here. Just another attempt by administration to cover their behinds after their shortcomings are pointed out; At least this time it didn’t have to come with a $300,000 federal court settlement for their inability to take appropriate preventative action.
CSC hasn’t learned anything from this. There is a male student at the college right now that has been accused of sexually assaulting 10-12 females (mind you those are just the ones that have spoken up!) since 2020 and he still roams the campus freely. The biggest goal in the case seems to be to talk the females into dismissing it. How can anyone feel safe on that campus when admin doesn’t stand up for them?
I felt that the administration took the necessary action in this case. They addressed the issue and made a statement to the college that they were not tolerating this behavior on campus. My issue lies with the football program, they produce some great men from their program but where is the accountability for those players who do not fall into this category? I personally feel the administration did all they can in this situation, they do not work hand in hand with athletics everyday, they do not go on recruiting visits, and they do not personally meet a lot of these athletes for longer than a few minutes on a campus tour. They cannot be the front line of defense in this situation, the coaching staff needs to stand up and address this situation. They are human as much as we are and they make mistakes in the recruiting process, this does not fall entirely on them but I am disappointed that they still have not come forward with a formal statement addressing their mistake, it feels hollow when the only people who are taking the fall right now is the administration, they are not the reason these recruits find this college and they are not suppose to be the fall back in situations like this. As a former athlete I say, take accountability for the mistake that was made with this recruit and ones before him that slipped through the cracks. No one will feel any better about this situation until the appropriate parties take accountability for the mistake they made and that starts with the football coaches. Set an example of no tolerance and the program and athletes will follow suit, this just proves the narrative that athletes can get away with a lot more than the general student population. When the coaches aren’t immediately taking action, why would their players feel the need to take accountability? The leadership aspect of CSC athletics is lacking and in order for issues like this to be resolved and lessened, coaches need to start setting a better and more stern example with their players. After all, they are still kids, they need leaders to look up to in their coaches and until the program steps up and publicly addresses these wrong doings, these kind of issues will continue to occur.
I am blown away by this remarkable article. Handled well by the writer. Not part of the Duran family, but i watched as this unfolded and broke the hearts of the minor victims family, as well as her. It truly breaks my heart that we probably have unknown statistics of how many girls are assaulted every year by athletes, just singling out them because of their situation. I am convinced there is probably so many more that are unknown and feel the shame of the situation. They boys will get away without ever being found out and mostly without remorse. Those young ladies have to live with it forever and find future relationships can be effected by it. Humiliation is a mental condition brought on by the attacker. I know that colleges want the best for the school, but is it best to find talent? Or is it best to make sure your campus is safe from a predator insuring the safety of all. Be better and put humanity before talent.