World number one Serena Williams has reportedly reached out to Steubenville, Ohio rape case victim’s family after the tennis superstar was quoted as saying “she shouldn’t have put herself in that position” in a Rolling Stone magazine article. This was shared by the family’s lawyer, adding that Williams had spoken to them for about thirty minutes.
Williams released a statement about the matter via her agent on Wednesday.
“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,” the statement said.
“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,” she added.
Williams’ comments were included in the Rolling Stone article featuring the top-ranked tennis star. The 16-time Grand Slam winner just won the Roland Garros title earlier this month and is the top seed of the Wimbledon 2013 Championships which begins on Monday. The American is also the defending champion at the All England Club.
Two players at a Steubenville high school football team were convicted in March this year for raping a drunken 16-year old female student. According to the verdict, one of the suspects was ordered to serve an additional year for photographing the girl nude. The case garnered media attention because other students used social networking sites to talk about what happened.
“What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened,” Williams said in the statement.
“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,”
According to the Rolling Stone article, Williams acknowledged that the boys “did something stupid” but added that she’s “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.” These remarks caused controversy in the past few days.
The victim’s family had already accepted Williams’ apology and released their own statement on Wednesday.
“We are sure Serena has and will continue to use her God given talents to advance women’s equality and send the message that rape is never acceptable under any circumstance,” according to the statement released by Fitzsimmons.
“We are fans of Serena and will continue rooting for many more championships but more importantly watching her advance the cause of rape victims who are never to blame,” they added.
