NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers is under police investigation for possible sexual misconduct, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Unfortunately, Kaepernick’s teammate Quinton Patton and Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette are also listed on the police incident report.

While the off-the-field association of Kaepernick and Lockette is alarming as a Seahawks fan, what I find even more disturbing is the lack of concern for the actual issue here.

According to the report, a girl woke up in the hospital with no recollection of how she got there after taking shots with the football players and being pressured into smoking marijuana the night before.

When reading comments and listening to my peers, I personally can’t help but think we may have become desensitized to the “athlete rape case” scenario we now see all too often. 

Recently, there has been a steady stream of sexual accusations against athletes, and I think they may be numbing sports fans to alleged rape stories.

For instance, former NFL safety Darren Sharper is under investigation in five states for the alleged rapes of nine women, according to a USA TODAY report.

After being accused of rape by a Florida State University student, the state attorney decided not to charge FSU quarterback Jameis Winston last December, according to ESPN. The female in this case also admitted to taking shots on the night of the alleged rape.

An alleged victim recently accused Kansas wide receiver Mark A. Thomas of “forcibly fondling her,” a University of Wisconsin recruit was charged with raping a student during a visit to the school, and students at the University of Michigan are protesting the school’s approach to a sexual investigation of the football team’s kicker, according to Think Progress.

It seems by the time Kaepernick’s case rolls around, our sports news stream has been so densely saturated with reports of rape and forcible fondling that we’re conditioned to look almost completely past the possibility of scarring assault and look right to the fanatical comfort of a heated Hawks-9ers rivalry.

On a Seattle Times article related to the incident, commenters have found the Kaepernick-Lockette relationship to be more worthy of their comments than a potential tragic misuse of a girl’s presence, if they aren’t already blowing off the situation entirely.

“Kobe Bryant…Ben Rothlisberger…we’ve been here before,” said a commenter who goes by the username Lee Mellon.

Another commenter with the username Highside said he’s more concerned about the association with Kaepernick than anything else in the case. “Hanging out with that sack should be grounds for immediate dismissal,” said Highside.

Now, in Lockette’s defense, he is the one who notified the police when the girl wouldn’t leave, according to CBS Sports.

Regardless, I feel we as sports fans should take time to consider the fact that, no matter how many allegations accuse athletes of sexual foul play, sexual aggression by anyone cannot be allowed to become routine.

– Fletcher Bailey is a junior communication major from Seattle. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.