Tennis pro Serena Williams is apologizing after criticizing a Steubenville, Ohio rape victim.
The rape case rocked the small town of Steubenville after two teenage boys were convicted of raping an intoxicated teenager, following a night of partying. Videos and photographs were posted on social media the following day, bragging of their conquest. The young girl had no idea she was violated until seeing the images, which showed one of the teens violating her with his hand, while the other slapped his genitals on her hip.
Williams slammed the 16-year-old for being drunk during an interview with Rolling Stone saying, “"I'm not blaming the girl, but if you're a 16-year-old and you're drunk like that, your parents should teach you - don't take drinks from other people.She's 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn't remember? It could have been much worse. She's lucky."
Williams also went on to criticize that the young girl should have “never put herself” in a situation where she could be assaulted noting, “Unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”
The tennis pro is now backtracking and releasing an apology following the interview which she posted on her website.
“What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me,” she writes. “I was deeply saddened. For someone to be raped, and at only sixteen, is such a horrible tragedy! For both families involved – that of the rape victim and of the accused. I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article.”
Continuing she adds, “What was written – what I supposedly said – is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame. I have fought all of my career for women’s equality, women’s equal rights, respect in their fields – anything I could do to support women I have done.”
She concludes her statement sending “prayers” and “support” to the victim, “In this case, most especially, to an innocent sixteen year old child.”
Image: NBC