Eric Frimpong has been convicted of rape. This comes as no surprise to anyone with half a brain. The evidence against him was overwhelming: teeth marks consistent with his on the victim’s face, witness statements (including Frimpong’s), good police work during the investigation, and – most damning of all – the victim’s DNA found on Frimpong’s scrotum.

What’s interesting about the Frimpong case is how UCSB and its community have reacted to the outcome. People associated with UCSB continue to make dim-witted, inane and uninformed statements in support of Frimpong; some are willing to outright lie to support him and protect the image of the soccer program and UCSB.

A quick review of most recent public statements about the Frimpong matter confirms the ethos of UCSB: ignore, deny, and – if those tactics don’t work – attack the victim.

Before the trial, it was Frimpong’s pals who led the charge against the victim. In addition to personal attacks on the victim, some of Frimpong’s friends started a “defense fund” on his behalf. It’s hard to ignore the fact that the UCSB community did not start a “fund” for the victim.

Then, at trial, Frimpong’s defense attorney took over. The defense came up with a slight twist on the racism/one-armed-man/bushy-haired-stranger-defense. However, no explanation has yet been attempted as to how the “actual rapist” was able to get the victim’s DNA on Frimpong’s scrotum.

Now, after Frimpong has been convicted, it is UCSB’s minions who try to de-legitimize the verdict.

First there was the spokeshole for the UCSB spin machine – Paul Descruisseaux, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs – with his inane comments.

Then comes Frimpong’s former UCSB soccer coach, Tim Vom Steeg. Vom Steeg said in a recent issue of the Nexus, “There were, however, no eye witnesses, so ultimately you’re looking for physical evidence. When the DNA evidence came back negative three weeks after this happened, I thought the case would go away. Ten months later, he’s convicted and going to jail. It’s upsetting. There are a lot of questions we still have about how it all went down.” (“Frimpong Trial Ends; Jurors Find Former Soccer Player Guilty,” Daily Nexus, Jan. 7).

First of all, there was an eyewitness: the victim. Does this guy, Vom Steeg, actually think that there are normally third-party eyewitnesses to rape?

Second, the fact that the defense attorney released only a portion of the DNA information ten months ago should come as no surprise to anyone.

Third, Vom Steeg still has a lot of questions “about how it all went down”? Hey, Vomster, here’s how it went down: Frimpong raped the victim, the police did their job, the prosecutor did her job, the judge did his job and the jury convicted Frimpong for exactly what he did – rape! What part of that are you unable to understand?

And the most astounding part of Vom Steeg’s comments was when he maintained the verdict was irrelevant. Vom Steeg said, “The verdict hasn’t changed anyone’s opinion.” It is truly astounding to hear him defend a convicted rapist and pretend like Frimpong is the victim.

What is worse than all of this vitriol towards the victim and adulations for the rapist is that they go completely unchallenged in the Nexus.

What’s next? Will Yang offer Frimpong a coaching position?

Frimpong is a rapist and UCSB should have taken action against him long ago. According to published reports, this guy was still in school in December!

Given the fact that there are somewhere between 300 and 500 sexual assaults on the UCSB campus and in the bucolic burg of Isla Vista each year, it is shocking that rape and sexual assault trials are not more common. There is a simple reason why they are not. The communities of UCSB and I.V. don’t act like rapes don’t happen; instead, they actively attempt to suppress the reporting and prosecution of them. Who would want to come forward after being raped and then get assailed by the UCSB party-till-we-puke spin machine?

And we are all sooooo upset about changing the name of FT!