RONick

May 9th, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^

Truly sad news.  Far, far too young, especially for someone who, from an outsider's perspective, was more than just a model citizen off the court, but did exemplary work with those that are less fortunate (the Lacey story while he was in college being the most prominent).

lilpenny1316

May 9th, 2022 at 12:09 PM ^

Those involved was investigated by the county prosecutor, who declined to press charges. They just didn't have the evidence to prosecute, which is hard without a cooperating witness or a rape kit. That doesn't mean the deed wasn't done. Look at all those cases. It was the same thing. There's a reason Hollis resigned, and it wasn't because of the Nassar case or "family issues".

BlueInVA95

May 9th, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^

That same prosecutor was also incredibly corrupt and a criminal. He resigned from office because of scandal. Including prostitution and apparently getting women to exchange sexual favors to have charges against them dropped or to otherwise have their records cleared. It's hard not to imagine that the corrupt top prosecutor covering Ingham County would provide air cover for MSU and their athletics program. Keeping MSU and their influential donors happy is a great way to keep getting reelected.

DetroitBlue

May 9th, 2022 at 12:09 PM ^

My recollection is that Appling was probably more at fault than Payne, BUT i also remember reading a statement Payne made to the police to the effect of ‘I can understand why she (the victim) felt she wasn’t free to leave’. 
 

Given the way the east landfill pd has fallen all over itself to protect the misdeeds of sparty athletes, taken in combination with that statement, I wouldn’t be too comfortable declaring him as some paragon of virtue, but you do you

ldd10

May 9th, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^

Except your narrative is BS.  Maybe he did something bad, but who knows...he was never charged.

But she died in 2014, the story was huge back then w/ Payne, then the Nassar stuff was like 2016/2017.  So, yes, it's a lie to say that the Lacey stuff was intentionally put out there once the Nassar/ESPN stuff came out.

DetroitBlue

May 9th, 2022 at 12:15 PM ^

Can you read? Nobody is saying that story was put out there to deflect from the Nasser situation, it was pit out there to deflect the fact that Appling almost certainly, and Payne likely, raped a girl freshman year before their very first game and despite some pretty compelling evidence (including incriminating statements by Payne himself) the prosecutor didn’t charge them. Given the way sparty athletes have been shielded from consequences for many, many crimes, the fact that they weren’t charged isn’t some slam dunk evidence of innocence

ldd10

May 9th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^

Look, my only point is that for people to say he is absolutely a RAPIST is tough for somebody that believes in due process.  Maybe he did something bad, maybe not...but it's just bad to automatically say he's a rapist when that is not 100% proven.  But if calling him undoubtedly an absolute rapist makes them feel better, then so be it.  Rivalries are rivalries, I get it.  

DetroitBlue

May 9th, 2022 at 12:30 PM ^

I agree that nobody, with the exception of the victim can say for sure what happened that night. My issue is the fact that you’ve accused others of lying and have somehow convinced yourself that this has anything to do with the Nassar situation. It doesn’t. 
 

I also believe in due process, but acknowledge the consistent failure of our legal system to handle rape/sexual assault. The fact that he made self-incriminating statements, to me, is a hell of a lot more compelling than the fact that some sparty stooge prosecutor declined to file charges. If you knew anything about the legal system, or weren’t so apparently pro-msu, i believe you’d look at this the same way. 

Wolverheel

May 9th, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^

If you think this is solely due to a rivalry you have clearly not read anything regarding this situation. Which makes your steadfast defense of him even more baffling. 

I truly hope he changed as a person before his death. But he was almost certainly part of something truly evil. 

dmgoblue08

May 9th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^

you aren't bright enough to know what he's saying so i'll dumb it down for you.

due process is a legal term, and no one here suggested he should have been thrown in jail. no one suggested he shouldn't be afforded due process.

due process does not have to do with public opinion, whereby someone may still think he's a shitty dude regardless of legal proceedings that may or may not have happened.

so he was correct, don't use terms you don't understand. 

 

Brhino

May 9th, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^

What you call "not believing in due process" I call "recognizing that our legal system is far from perfect, and one of the biggest holes in it is the infrequency in which sexual assault victims receive justice, particularly when the perpetrators are powerful or well-connected."

 

If you're comfortable proclaiming that any athlete at MSU (or for that matter, Michigan or anywhere else) that wasn't convicted of a sex crime in a court of law is 100% innocent, you're burying your head in the sand.