Settlement means convicted rapist will stay on Youngstown State football team

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
FILE – In this Sept. 14, 2017 file photo, Ma’lik Richmond, center, of Steubenville, Ohio, and his attorney Susan Stone, left, walk out of U.S. District Court in Youngstown, Ohio. In a deal announced Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, Youngstown State University has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit with Richmond, a football player convicted of rape as a teen who sued after the school allowed him to join the team and then told him he couldn’t play this season. (AP Photo/Dake Kang, File)

Ma’lik Richmond will continue to be a member of the Youngstown State football team after a settlement was reached regarding his suit against the school.

Richmond was convicted of rape while at Steubenville High School. After enrolling at Youngstown State, he had been practicing with the team but unable to play in games. In his suit, Richmond alleged the school decided to keep him out of games because of a petition that circulated at the school after his inclusion in the team became known.

A temporary restraining order was granted in Richmond’s favor on Sept. 15 and allowed him to play in games. Monday, Richmond and Youngstown State reached a settlement regarding the suit.

“As part of the settlement, Richmond agreed to undergo additional training with respect to issues involving Title IX,” Youngstown State said in a statement. “Richmond will remain on the active roster and will remain eligible to play football.”

“This has been a complex situation and will continue to be of interest to our campus community. As we move forward, we are prepared to continue to engage the campus in a review of our policies at it relates to these types of situations, including policies on student participation in athletics and other high-profile university activities. While the settlement agreement may cause concern for some, we believe it is in the best overall interest of the university, students and the community”.

Richmond argued the decision to keep him out of games despite being unable to qualify as a redshirt was arbitrary and that Youngstown State was “infected by an anti-male bias that has swept across America’s universities and colleges and is only now being identified and challenged.”

He and a high school teammate were found guilty of a 2012 rape of a 16-year-old girl. Richmond was convicted as a juvenile and served a one-year sentence in juvenile detention.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!