It was Senior Day for the women’s basketball team at Baylor University over the weekend, which should have meant sentimental reminiscing of their departing players. Unfortunately, head coach Kim Mulkey had other plans — she took her time at the mic to start talking smack about people who dare be concerned about the school’s horrifyingly dismal record with ignoring and covering up rape.
If you’re scratching your head in confusion, you’re not alone. Deadspin explains:
The storied coach decided to share a few choice words for parents voicing concern over sending their daughters to a place currently being sued for allowing and enabling football players to commit an alleged 52 sexual assaults in four years. Or rather, she shared some instructions for the fans—who cheered her both during and after her speech—telling them that if a parent tells them they won’t let their daughter attend Baylor, they should “knock them right in the face.”
Because nothing says “we take campus violence seriously” like recommending face-punching for people who care about rape. Watch the clip below:
A mini-transcript if you (understandably) don’t want to listen to her nonsense:
“If somebody’s around you and they ever say, ‘I will never send my daughter to Baylor,’ you knock them right in the face.”
“Because these kids are on this campus. I work here. My daughter went to school here. And it’s the best damn school in America.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t done there. After punctuating her initial ridiculous statements with a mic drop (which is now completely, officially dead thanks to her), she went to the press conference and kept going. And in typical rape-minimizer fashion, Mulkey’s elaborations offers ZERO improvement on her initial statements.
I’m tired of hearing it. I’m tired of people talking about it on a national scale that don’t know what they’re talking about. If they didn’t sit in those meetings and they weren’t a part of the investigation, you’re repeating things that you’ve heard. It’s over. It’s done.
I work here every day. I’m in the know. And I’m tired of hearing it. The problems that we have at Baylor are no different than the problems at any other school in America. Period. Move on. Find another story to write.
*sigh* Okay. There’s a lot to unpack here. Let me share a few pieces of knowledge for Ms. Mulkey:
1. No one cares if you are tired of hearing about Baylor’s past.
You know who is probably more tired than you? The rape victims who were traumatized by their assault and let down by a powerful university who didn’t do enough to prevent or address it.
Here’s a piece of unsolicited advice: If you really want to stop hearing about it, perhaps you should recommend punching rapists in the face, not concerned parents.
2. People are allowed to have an opinion on a rape cover-up scandal.
The idea that people can only comment on sexual violence unless they literally witnessed it is based in the type of thinking that dismisses domestic abuse as “private matters” that aren’t “anyone’s business.” Well, let me tell you — it’s everyone’s business. And we’re allowed to be shocked and dismayed by reports of others’ behavior.
More unsolicited advice: Education is literally based on “repeating thing that you’ve heard” so if you have a problem with that, you probably shouldn’t be working for a school.
3. baylor’s rape problem is STILL serious AND DESERVES ATTENTION — even if its ISSUES ARE allegedly “no different” from other schools.
I don’t know what is a more juvenile response than “but they’re doing it, too!” when under the spotlight for wrongdoing. Yes, college rape is a problem everywhere — but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to it anywhere.
I’m also hesitant to say that their issues are no different. There’s a reason why there’s been so much news about Baylor: If you’re among a sea of dirtbags and your dirtbaggery stands out you’re pretty dang awful. Here’s a sample of headlines about Baylor’s problem:
The “best damn school in America” indeed.
4. Your statements show that you are part of the problem
The optics of a head athletic coach being dismissive of her employer’s rape scandals aren’t exactly great. With an attitude like hers, I can see why rape culture is so rampant at that school.