Allegations against IU team doctor show reality of sexual assault
It's likely a woman, probably young. Maybe it's a child or teen who is weak, vulnerable, without power or strength.
Now think about the perpetrator of that violence. It's likely a stranger who lurks in the shadows. Like any television crime show, they attack unwitting victims they don't know under the cover of darkness.
Now, let's think about the reality: 1 in 3 Hoosier women, and 1 in 5 Hoosier men report they have been sexually assaulted.
Some of those men were allegedly assaulted by a trusted adult, a pillar of the community, at one of the nation's top collegiate basketball programs: Indiana University.
I grew up in Bloomington. My family members have had season tickets to IU basketball since I can remember. I spent many hours next to my late father at Assembly Hall. I'm a proud IU graduate, as are members of my extended family.
But what is alleged by four men against the IU team doctor cannot be ignored or taken lightly. It has laid bare an ugly truth about sports, power, and why this epidemic of sexual violence is so hard to address.
I will not evaluate the case or the allegations against Dr. Brad Bomba Sr. That's for the courts to sort out. But, as we learned in the case involving Dr. Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics, anyone can be the victim of sexual violence at any time. Often, it is at the hands of someone they know, trust or even love.
The lawsuit involving the former IU basketball players turns society's accepted construct of victim and perpetrator upside down. A victim simply can't be strong, physically gifted young men who are worshiped for their talent. Certainly not young men who are fast and able to fight back from an attack.
And the alleged perpetrator simply can't be a revered team doctor of a storied athletic dynasty with ties to a legendary coach. Certainly not in an environment where others — trainers, coaches, other players — are aware of the alleged assaults. Certainly not in a place where we expect a team to be a family and ensure the safety and well being of each other.
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But that's just the point. Anyone, anywhere, is at risk, even if you are an elite gymnast or a standout basketball player. And with reputations, contracts, winning records and the associated income to the university all on the line, the harder it is for people to comprehend that sexual assault can occur in these safe spaces.
That's why at the Indiana Coalition is End Sexual Assault, we start by believing survivors. We never discount a victim when they come forward, no matter how much time has passed, no matter how beloved the alleged perpetrator is and no matter how hard it is to believe that male athletes at the top of their game could be a victim.
Because we know it can happen to anyone.
Beth White is CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Sexual assault is widespread — even against men | Opinion
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