Washington Huskies Football Program Teaching Real Life Lessons

The University of Washington Huskies Football Program Continues Path To Develop Athletes On and Off Field In Facing Real Issues With Brenda Tracy

The University of Washington Huskies football program is fighting against the national trend.  To that, the fact is that sexual assault and rape at colleges and universities in the nation remain persistently high.  As a matter of fact, many sexual crimes at colleges go unreported, as many as 95% of the instances per an ACLU report on bestcolleges.com.  

Sexual Assault and rape happens at universities across the United States. If you research the topic, the statistics are horrifying.  Per the US Department of Justice, a statistical sampling of nine colleges conclude approximately 21 percent of undergraduate female students will experience sexual assault during their time at higher education.

The Culture Must Change

On one hand, those statistics are horrifyingly sobering.  On the other hand, nothing will change in a national culture of indifference.   That culture must change, today, and going forward.  That is the goal of Coach Petersen as part of his legacy with the University of Washington Huskies football program.

But let’s not move the spotlight. Coach Petersen merely provided the audience. Nothing changes if nobody speaks up.  That speaker was Brenda Tracy, a courageous woman who was once a victim of a senseless rape in 1998.  Her story was written by John Canzano and published in November 2014.

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Busting Brackets

But the story had a second part. A part of cover-up and betrayal.  John Canzano wrote the second article as well, an article which was published on December 29,2014.  Beyond the violence and humiliation she endured, the worst betrayal of trust was when she faced the exhaustive investigation of the Oregon State University into the allegations of her rape.  The results? The system betrayed her as well.

Lives Change

The events of that night changed many lives then. Brenda Tracy found herself driven down to the brink of her existence. But, in the darkness, she found the light of an ER nurse named Jenenne Aguilar. That light may have saved her life.  In the end, both lives changed for the better..

The players who committed the horrors upon Brenda Tracy have had their lives changed too. As a result, the lives did not change for the better.   Investigators and administrators lives have been changed. The fact that she has found the courage to speak about that tragedy changes lives on March 9, 2017.

My life changed after reading Brenda Tracy’s story.

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Pay It Forward

I hope this article has that same effect on someone.  You see, this is not her story. This is not an Oregon State University’s story. It’s not even a PAC-12 story. This is our story. This happened in our community. And until we care enough to stop it, this story will keep on happening over and over.

Coach Petersen invited Brenda Tracy to speak to the Washington Huskies football team to change their lives. Having had the pleasure of speaking and interacting with the players of the Washington Huskies football program, I believe the message was well received and the team is already on its way to changing culture.

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In conclusion, I hope this story makes a difference in your life.  Nothing changes in this nation until it does.