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Student at Youngstown State starts petition to remove player from football team
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One student at Youngstown State is taking steps to remove a player convicted of rape from the school’s football team.
According to WFMJ.com, Ma’lik Richmond, a sophomore defensive end with Penguins, was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2012 in Steubenville, Ohio. He enrolled at Youngstown State in 2016 and joined the football team this past January.
Katelyn Davis is the student who started the petition. And though she believes Richmond does deserve a second chance and the opportunity to stay at Youngstown State as a student, she doesn’t believe he belongs on the football field.
“I’m not saying that Richmond should be expelled. He does deserve a second chance at his education,” she said. “I do hope he is successful in life, but he should not be representing YSU as a football player.”
Here are a few excerpts from the petition, which can be found on Change.com:
In 2012, a 16-year-old girl was brutally raped by two high school football players, one of which is now a football player for Youngstown State University. Ma’lik Richmond was convicted of the rape of an unconscious young girl, which was also caught on camera and placed on social media to brag about the rape.
Now, in 2017, as YSU students prepare to return to school and spend fall nights watching their football team play, there is a huge problem. That problem is that Richmond will be on the field, playing a game. He will be representing the university and all that it stands for.
Does he deserve a second chance? Yes, he does, and he is receiving that second chance by furthering his education on YSU’s campus. Does he deserve the privilege of playing on a football team and representing a university? Absolutely not. Education is a right, whereas playing on a sports team is not.
As the voice of the students of Youngstown State University, I ask that Richmond be removed from the football team, and this privilege be revoked from someone who absolutely does not deserve it. Thank you.
As of Monday evening, the petition had already received nearly 7,500 signatures.
The petition, which Davis admits she didn’t expect to take off so quickly, will be sent to YSU President Jim Tressel and head football coach Bo Pelini.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB