As the Baylor football program continues to (hopefully) learn and move forward from the scandal that’s rocked the university this offseason, the current roster has received a stark look at the other side of sexual violence.
Nearly two decades ago, Brenda Tracy, a single mother to two young kids at the time, was gang-raped by four men, two of whom were football players on an Oregon State Beavers football team coached at the time by Mike Riley. Last month, Tracy spoke to Riley’s players at Nebraska; this month, Tracy, at the request of Baylor interim head coach Jim Grobe, spoke to the current members of the Bears football team.
And, according to Tracy herself after the discussion Monday, the players were very open to her message. From the Dallas Morning News:I was prepared to walk into a very hostile environment,” Tracy said. “I was very prepared to walk into a place where nobody wanted me there.”
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“They weren’t hostile toward me, and I didn’t go in there trying to destroy their program,” said Tracy, a registered nurse and Oregon native. “We got along, and it was OK. We all survived.”
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“Not only do I feel for the victims when I see a stadium,” Tracy said, “but I also see a huge potential for change.
“I guess it’s bittersweet. It used to be just bitter. But today, it’s bittersweet.Grobe came under fire recently for his stance that there’s not “a culture of bad behavior” at Baylor. While that strident and public defense caused further backlash against the program he’s charged with navigating through these rough waters, Tracy publicly praised the coach.
Coach @WF_Grobie is a good man with a good heart. Thank you for having me @Baylor University pic.twitter.com/0G82mLn91K
— Brenda Tracy (@brendatracy24) July 25, 2016
