Sacking assaults

An initiative that teaches athletes to respect women is important and needs support.

We want to interrupt this Texas legislative session to do something we’ve never done before: Praise a lobbyist. We’re referring to Bill Miller, an influential Austin lobbyist and his mission to teach young men to respect women.

On Christmas Eve, Miller read about Jameis Winston, the firstround draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the rape accusation against him. He was stunned to learn that Winston had interpreted his accuser’s moans as consent, as reported in the New York Times.

Miller took action. He launched an early intervention project called ProtectHer to combat sexual assault. An educational video for students is a key part of the project. The video will include big-name Texas athletes and coaches talking about appropriate interpersonal boundaries.

The aim of the project is to reach the largest number of students possible, according to a Texas Education Agency news release. But to start off, all public school male and female athletes in Texas grades 9-12 will be required to view the video in the forthcoming 2015-16 school year.

Miller’s project is a good idea. Many of us look up to athletes. And for better or worse, the drive, determination and flash of professional athletes are powerful beacons for our children.

But we’re weary of reading stories about athletes involved in sexual abuse and domestic violence. For many reasons, some parents are not sufficiently educating their children about appropriate behavior. The rampant numbers regarding sexual abuse in Texas prove that kids don’t necessarily pick up the needed information about appropriate interpersonal behavior along the way.

According to a new report by the University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, 6.3 million Texans have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime, including 413,000 Texans in the last year. This means that an alarming 2 in 5 women and 1 in 5 men are the victims of sexual assault. The most dispiriting statistic revealed that 22.2 percent of young women in Texas ages 13 and under have experienced some form of sexual assault.

Sexual assault has long-term emotional consequences. Victims often suffer from depression, and untreated depression is the No. 1 cause for suicide, according to Suicide.org. The Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation is trying to raise the money privately to produce the ProtectHer Project video. The Houston Rockets have already kicked in. All sports leagues and teams, and sports companies should pitch in as well.

Supporting efforts that teach our young athletes to respect women is less costly in the long run than the public relations disasters or possible criminal charges caused by domestic violence or sexual assault, but it’s also the decent thing to do.

Student athletes are leaders. If this video can help change their views, it can help change the culture of schools and, ultimately, that of society.

According to a new report by the University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, 6.3 million Texans have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime and 413,000 Texans in the last year.