SPORTS

Vanderbilt rape trial hangs over recruiting weekend

Adam Sparks
asparks@tennessean.com

At least 20 Vanderbilt University football recruits will arrive on campus Friday for one of the biggest football recruiting weekends of the year as a harsh spotlight shines on the criminal trial of former players charged in a summer 2013 campus rape.

This year's recruits, from 11 states, will spend their NCAA-mandated 48 hours at Vanderbilt with their parents, taking tours of the campus and athletic facilities, meeting with coaches and academic advisers and sharing the reasons they have considered the prestigious university as their future college home.

"I know there is a trial, and my parents know," said recruit Justin Skule, an offensive lineman from Clifton, Va. "But I am still going there, and I'm not letting all that affect my perception of Vanderbilt."

Recruiting culture

Most college football recruiting trips look similar during the day, but they can vary in activities and tone after hours. The rape case currently at trial and an incident last year involving a recruit, which was determined by Metro police to be "unfounded," came after a night of drinking.

In last year's January recruiting weekend — the first under coach Derek Mason — a 17-year-old football recruit was accused of raping a 19-year-old Vanderbilt student during his visit, prompting a Metro police investigation. The accusation was "unfounded," based partly on surveillance cameras that showed the student and recruit holding hands en route to his hotel, and other inconsistencies. There were no charges and no confirmed sexual assault, but heavy underage drinking was documented by police and witnesses.

The recruit, who was not named, did not sign with Vanderbilt and instead went to another school, according to Metro police spokesman Don Aaron.

After-hours parties involving Vanderbilt recruits often have been "mundane" compared with other schools', judging from recruits' social media posts, said Jesse Johnson, longtime Commodores reporter for recruiting websites 247 Sports, Rivals and Scout.

"Sometimes you see them post a picture on Facebook where they have a drink in their hand at a small party in town, but you're going to see that with 18-year-old kids back at their high schools," Johnson said. But when the same recruit is visiting another college, "they'll be partying at a bar all night," he said.

Johnson said if Vanderbilt recruits want to party, they will have the opportunity only Saturday night, when player hosts can show them the town.

"Any school knows that happens. 'If you go here, this is what campus life is like,' " he said. "So some of them go out and party on Saturday night, unless their parents say no."

The rape accusation a year ago occurred after the recruit and the other student attended a fraternity party, police records show.

There will be no parties allowed at fraternity houses this weekend, said Vanderbilt student Kristen Brady, a board member of the recently formed campus group Party With Consent, which is dedicated to the reform of rape culture on college campuses.

"Fraternities and sororities cannot register parties through the university this weekend because it's sorority recruitment, and one of their requirements is that they can't consume alcohol before their activities," Brady said. "It's pretty alarming that anyone would party on their visit here, but the party culture is hard to ignore. But Greek Row will not be where parties are this weekend."

The rape case

Three of those charged in the alleged 2013 rape — Cory Batey, Brandon Banks and Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie — were introduced to Vanderbilt on this same key January recruiting weekend three years ago on campus, which defense attorneys have argued touts a culture of sexual promiscuity and underage drinking.

In testimony at trial this week, student acquaintances of the alleged victim were matter-of-fact about the presence of alcohol.

Yet one campus police detective refuted that description during testimony.

More testimony is expected about the link between recruiting and campus culture, including a question about whether the alleged victim's relationship with the indicted men began on the recruiting weekend in January 2012.

Former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin said the woman "assisted them with recruiting," according to court records, and a friend of the victim repeated that designation on the witness stand Thursday.

Former tight end Brandon Vandenburg, also currently on trial, was a Vanderbilt prospect on the January 2013 weekend, one year after the other three defendants.

It is unclear from trial testimony, so far, when he met the woman. But they were dating within two weeks of his arrival for summer workouts, according to pretrial testimony.

Vanderbilt has changed coaches since the arrests. Franklin is now at Penn State, and Mason is one year into his new job as the Commodores' head coach.

Recruits unfazed

None of this year's 14 recruits who committed to play football for Vanderbilt has changed his mind — not after a disappointing 3-9 season and not with the rape trial hovering over the program.

Kyle Anderton, a tight end from Station Camp High School in Gallatin, committed in October, amid pretrial motions and high-profile media coverage of Franklin testifying via video feed about his interactions with the arrested players. Three months later, Anderton said his commitment is still firm, despite the negative publicity.

"It's something that happened two years ago, a couple of kids making a mistake and not thinking right," he said. "I'm going to Vandy to be the best football player and teammate I can be and get a great education. That stuff doesn't affect my decision."

Some recruits said they didn't even know there was a rape trial.

LaSalle, Pa., quarterback  Kyle Shurmur is a Vanderbilt commitment.

Quarterback Kyle Shurmur, from Glenside, Pa., said, "This is the first time I have heard about it."

He added that he had been on Vanderbilt's campus three times for unofficial visits and believes "the purpose of an official visit is to get a feel for the school. But certainly underage drinking is not right, and players especially should not be doing it. I'm just looking this weekend to get a good feel of Nashville."

Skule said he has made two unofficial visits to Vanderbilt but that drinking was not part of either.

"I'm really excited about it because it's the big recruiting weekend with all the guys in my class," he said. "It should be a really fun weekend."

Vanderbilt declined to provide an itinerary or basic description of the visit. Also, Vanderbilt athletics department spokesman Rod Williamson declined to comment, saying, "We feel it is not appropriate to discuss matters that are a part of the ongoing trial."

Staff writers Tony Gonzalez and Anita Wadhwani contributed to this report. Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

OFFICIAL VISIT

A visit financed in whole or in part by an institution. A prospect may take a maximum of five expense-paid visits, with no more than one permitted to any single institution.

UNOFFICIAL VISIT

A visit financed entirely by the prospect. A prospect may take an unlimited number of unofficial visits to an institution.