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Calif. High School Wrestler's 'Butt Drag' Earns Him Sexual Assault Charges
Believe it or not, I was not a high school wrestler. But from what I understand about the sport, it's not at all like the WWF of my youth (sorry, panda bears, I still refuse to call it "WWE.").
There are no turnbuckles to jump off of, no conveniently placed folding metal chairs, and, I have to assume, no -- or at least very few -- competitors that look like this.
It seems, however, that something I never saw on Monday Night Raw is more prevalent than I would have expected in "real" wrestling. I'm talking about fingers in butts.
Bridget Crawford at the Faculty Lounge has gathered some info on the case of Preston Hill, a high school senior in Clovis, Calif., who has been charged with sexual assault for his conduct during a wrestling practice. The incident happened over the summer, but Hill's trial was initially scheduled to begin yesterday. It has now been adjourned until next month. Hill claims he was just engaged in a common move known as the "butt drag."
The case has spurred a lot of conversation, and it includes copious use of phrases not generally uttered in the context of high school sports. Here are some excerpts from the Fresno Bee's Tuesday article about the case:
"Some people already see wrestling as a dirty sport. Now people are talking about anal penetration and wrestling in the same sentence." [From a high school coach not directly involved in the case]
...
"To think I'd ever instruct my guys to get on the mat and practice sticking their fingers in their teammates' rear end, it's stupid and ridiculous," longtime Fresno State wrestling coach Dennis DeLiddo said. "A butt drag isn't sticking your finger up a guy's [rectum]. That'd be illegal. That'd be counterproductive. That's not the move.
"That's not a butt drag -- that's just perverted."
...
Fresno City coach Paul Keysaw said the butt drag is used often in wrestling and that anal penetration does occur on occasion.
But Keysaw said "it's not like your sole purpose is trying to insert your finger in their butt." Rather, it's something that just happens at times, particularly in a sport where opponents are grabbing and holding onto each other.
"I'm not going to say anal penetration never happens," Keysaw said. "But I absolutely, unequivocally say 'no' that a coach would ever teach his kids to shove fingers up another kids' rectum. That's just a dangerous path to take."
Thanks for clearing that up, guys.
The Bee has a follow-up story this morning all about the proper definition of "butt drag." That story seems to indicate that Hill admitted to police that the penetration was intentional, which would certainly be relevant in the prosecution. Let's hope there are no dramatic courtroom moments invoving mannequins and re-enactments.
Posted by Eric Lipman on December 10, 2010 at 12:25 PM | Permalink
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