UCLA commit Marco Brewer has been charged with rape and other sexual assault crimes, according to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
Brewer is a 3-star offensive lineman from Corvallis High School. He committed to UCLA back in June after participating in a UCLA Football Big Man camp. Two months later and now it is unclear what will happen next.
Brewer faces multiple Measure 11 crimes. In Oregon, when a person between the ages of 15 and 17 is charged with these kinds of crimes they must be tried and sentenced as an adult. It is alleged that in May 2017, Brewer “engaged in sexual intercourse with a person who was incapable by reason of mental incapacitation or physical helplessness.”
Brewer was held at the Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility until Wednesday when he posted $450,000 bail. He will not have to appear in court until September 1. Since the news has broken, neither Corvallis High School nor UCLA have made a decision on Brewer’s future.
While UCLA has been quiet, it may not be for long. A few years ago when a similar incident occurred with former offensive lineman Torian White, Jim Mora initially suspended and later dismissed him from the football team. UCLA later dismissed White from the university.
UCLA needs to pull Brewer’s scholarship offer. If they don’t, they will have to deal with the backlash. Keeping Brewer is a slap in the face to sexual assault victims. It tells them the ordeal they experienced does not matter. It tells them the future of an athlete is more important. It gives the picture that the school cares more about sports than they do for sexual assault victims.
It was bad enough that UCLA hired Steve Alford who did everything he could to defend Pierre Pierce while Alford was the coach at Iowa. UCLA cannot allow an alleged sexual predator to be a member of its football team.
Unfortunately, some colleges have looked the other way before. Most recently, the Baylor football program has paid a steep price.
Even if Brewer is found not guilty, UCLA needs to take action to prevent a potential scandal in the future. If UCLA gives Brewer a scholarship and has another incident somewhere down the road, it will be on the UCLA Admissions Department and UCLA Athletics Department for allowing him onto campus in the first place.
Go Bruins.