Law & Order Special Victims Unit s15e16 Episode Script
Gridiron Soldier
In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Get that out of there.
Oh, my God, you cannot make that call.
At the end of the game.
They like to let the players, you know, figure it out on the court.
I'm kinda surprised, uh Cedric, there you are.
I've been looking everywhere for you.
Coach Becker.
I wasn't expecting to see you, sir.
Well, you're going to have to get used to that, 'cause if you play football here, we'll make you a star from day one.
Come on, there's a car waiting.
Ladies, this is Cedric.
Cedric, Zoe and Tanya.
They're your hostesses for the weekend.
- Hi.
- Hi, Cedric.
What do you think? Help Cedric get situated, girls.
He's a long way from home.
Don't be shy, come in.
Detective, you're not answering your phone.
Almost seems like you're ducking us.
Why would I be doing that? Tough loss today.
Ref blew that call.
Hey.
Nice dog.
Frannie, right? I'll get your money.
Don't go anywhere.
Nice, right? And we have another hour until the recruiting dinner.
Um, I'm sorry, I should tell you What? I'm a silent commit to Georgia Tech.
That happens, but you're here.
So we've got a shot at signing you.
The thing is, my uncle and I gave our word.
I've never been to New York.
Kind of why I came.
You sure there's nothing we can do to change your mind? It's all right.
Someone's glass needs refilling.
This party is just getting started.
Amanda, take it easy.
Thanks for doing this.
You look good.
Sorry you're in this position.
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate you offering to bail me out.
Well, the bar's doing well and the super bowl is off the chain.
I'm good for it, you know? I got a lot of O.
T.
Coming in, so it'll take a couple of weeks Forget it.
I know I poisoned the well.
Let me make good.
- It's just a loan.
- I do have one condition.
Not that.
Not that I don't miss it.
But you're coming to a meeting with me.
I don't want to hear "no" from you, son.
Now, something to keep in mind, this is the media capital of the world, so if you make here, you make it anywhere.
But, still, like you said, it is a long way from home.
My mom, my uncle, they they worry about me.
Anytime you miss your family, we can get 'em right up here from Georgia.
Come on.
I was eight years old, growing up in Georgia.
It was Christmas Eve and my daddy was, um, looking for the big win that was going to make everything all right.
He was so desperate, he drove us across the Florida state line.
Dog track.
He took me and my little sister with him.
And he actually tried to sneak us in, but there's no kids allowed, right? And we went back and waited in the car.
It was freezing at Christmas.
I remember our breath fogging up the windows.
My, um, my little sister was still asleep.
When daddy came back, he woke me up.
You know, this big smile on his face, a big wad of cash in his hand.
He was, like, "merry Christmas, Mandy.
All your dreams are gonna come true.
" Let me introduce you to some of the other players.
You've met Eddie.
Eddie.
CJ, what up brother? This is Bucky Dinucci, running back.
What's up? And Jerome Fields, outside linebacker.
There he is.
What's up, brother? Big man here isn't 100% sold on our program.
Eddie, maybe you and the fellas can give him a tour of our facilities after dinner.
Absolutely.
When you see what this place has to offer, you'll be hooked, trust me.
All right.
Last stop on the tour, the weight room, where boys turn into men.
Oh, damn! Better than your high school gym? Better than the Atlanta falcons gym.
It makes me want to hit the weights.
There may be something better for you to hit.
Oh? Hi, Cedric.
Yeah, y'all don't have to do this.
Yeah, we do.
So why don't we just sit down, relax, let the ladies take care of you? Ladies.
Oh.
Hey, Rollins, just got a call from the division.
Congratulations.
You were top ten in the city for the most overtime.
Yeah, I've been swamped, man.
A bunch of stuff came in all at once.
Yeah, you know, it's still the beginning of the year.
It's probably better to bank the hours, you know? You know what? Full disclosure Credit cards, the holidays, you know? So just go through me from now on, okay? - Absolutely.
- Okay.
Everything all right? NYPD needs to cut a few trees.
Amanda.
Can I help you? Larry Jones.
Loganville.
Your mother told me where I could find you.
Holy crap, Larry.
I haven't seen you since - since high school.
- Yeah.
You spoke to my mom? Yeah, she misses you, you know? Yeah, um, well this is my partner, Finn.
What's up, man? Larry and I used to run track together.
- That's cool.
- Mm-hmm.
What brings you up here? My nephew Cedric is missing.
He's 18.
He was up here on a Hudson football recruitment trip but didn't make his flight yesterday morning.
When was the last time you heard from him? When he landed Saturday.
Nothing since then.
Well, it's his first time in New York.
Maybe he met a girl, he's out partying.
No, not Cedric.
He would have called.
He wouldn't want to worry his mother.
Something's wrong, Amanda.
Okay, Larry.
You know what? It's good you came to me.
We'll track his cell phone.
We'll check with the school.
We'll find him.
Thanks.
Come on, let me get you some coffee.
Hey, what's that about? His 18-year-old nephew went missing in the city yesterday.
What's he doing at SVU? Well, they're both from my hometown, and I promised him I'd look into it.
I won't put in for it.
Do what you gotta do.
I know that, historically, New York City hasn't been perceived as a college football town, but, boy, are we changing that.
We've upgraded our facilities, expanded our recruiting base.
I've had to change the culture and teach our kids what it means to be winners.
Three straight years, our record's improved, and we just finished a strong recruiting weekend.
We're a few key pieces away from an undefeated season.
Thanks, guys.
All right.
Thank you, coach.
Thanks, coach.
- Thanks.
- Coach Becker.
- Something I can do for you? - Yeah, we're with the NYPD.
We're here about Cedric Jones.
Is he okay? We were all pretty worried when he skipped his flight.
Well, he's missing.
And he hasn't turned up yet? That does happen on occasion though.
These kids come to the big city for the first time.
Their parents panic, but they always turn up.
When's the last time you saw Cedric? At the recruiting dinner on campus Saturday evening.
It ended early.
Did you see him leave, maybe with somebody? I didn't.
But I had ten boys up visiting.
I had to make each one of 'em feel he was the only one I was interested in.
Do they serve drinks at these dinners? Are you kidding? They're 18.
When Cedric missed his pickup at the hotel, you called the police? I did.
We called the ERs too, but no sign of him.
Was anybody assigned to chaperone him or Yeah, actually, Eddie Thorpe.
Eddie! Yeah.
He's a sophomore wideout, knows our program better than anybody.
Hey.
Eddie, your coach said that you chaperoned Cedric Jones this weekend.
Yeah, a little.
I heard he missed his flight.
You were with him at the recruitment dinner? - Yeah.
- Did you see him leave with anybody, maybe mention where he was going next? No, he was keeping to himself.
He was well behaved, no drinking or acting out? I don't want to rat on the kid, but I smelled alcohol on his breath.
He probably had a couple drinks at the hotel mini bar.
I t the feeling he came up here to party.
We don't know that, Eddie.
All right, up-downs next.
Let's go, people.
Okay.
Eddie, you were his host and you thought he'd been drinking and you didn't keep an eye out? The kid's built like a tan I think he can handle himself.
If you'll excuse me, coach is preaching.
I gotta go practice.
Sure.
Taru got a ping on Cedric's cell.
It's a bar on eighth Avenue in Chelsea.
Amaro's headed over there.
Chelsea.
Really? How well does Larry know his nephew? We've been holding his phone.
I remember him.
I'm not blind.
No, just dumb.
He's 18 and you let him drink in here? He had I.
D.
and with a body like that, I wasn't going to tell him no.
He's from out of town.
He's gone missing.
Anybody talk to him? This one boy try to.
It didn't end well.
He got a little close to him.
The next thing I see, your thug pushes him off his stool, starts swinging at him.
He pushed his way to the front door, and then I called the cops.
Yeah, that's the kid.
His fake I.
D.
said his name was Octavius or "Dontarius" or something like that.
You the one that brought him in? Unis called me.
He's this way.
I was working plainclothes, looking for the Chelsea basher, four gay bashes last month.
Yeah, and Cedric fit that profile? No, but we were a block away when the call came in about a gay bash.
Suddenly, this kid bolts out of the bar.
We told him to halt.
He kept running.
He was in a blind rage.
It took four of us to put him down.
We had to tase him.
Oh, 'cause that's the only way to get somebody to listen to you.
You know what? I got, uh, I got history with this kid.
You mind if I take him? Be my guest.
Cedric.
I'm detective Amanda Rollins.
I'm from Loganville.
Your uncle Larry came up here looking for you.
Please don't tell him I'm in here.
What that guy did to me, he should be the one under arrest.
Keep your mouth shut, son, let's go.
I didn't do anything.
Then you got nothing to worry about.
He said, "get your hands off me, homo," in a gay bar.
What the hell was he doing there, looking like a black Ken doll? All right, all right, just calm down.
Calm down? Do you see my eye? It's cool.
You're safe now.
Can you tell me if you can see the man that attacked you? That's him.
That's him, which one? Four.
Number four.
Okay, you did good, Freddy.
I called his uncle.
He's on his way back.
Okay, meanwhile, we'll interrogate him.
Copy that, sarge.
I'm on it.
Not you, Rollins.
Amaro and I will take it.
Ma'am, I already told your partner this wasn't my fault.
Okay, Cedric, so why don't you tell me what did happen? He was all over me at the bar.
I told him to get up off me.
I didn't want to be getting aids.
Wait, you thought he was going to give you aids? He was trying to kiss me.
I told him I don't roll like that.
By knocking him out? He wouldn't listen.
Why'd he try to pick me up anyways? I'm straight! Cedric, you do realize that the bar that you were in was a gay bar? No way.
- They had hockey on TV.
- Was anybody watching? Look, how'd you end up there? I mean the Hudson campus is way up town.
I told the cab driver I was looking for a sports bar.
Wait a minute, y'all spoke to the people up at Hudson? What'd they say? Well, that you were at a recruiting dinner.
You missed your flight home the next morning.
And that's all they said? What, they leave something out? No, no.
I just want to go home.
Cedric you're in some trouble here.
The fake I.
D.
wasn't even mine.
They had one waiting for me in my room.
Son, you're looking at assault, maybe a hate crime.
That's not me.
Cedric Jones doesn't hate.
Is there something you're not telling us? I believe I'll ask for that lawyer that you mentioned.
The kid was I.
D.
'D in a lineup.
He's not denying the assault.
- Let the 12th book him.
- I know he's guilty.
But I have also known his uncle and that family my entire life.
They raised him right, and Larry swears he's not homophobic.
What else you expect him to tell you? So you're telling me that after one night in New York, he goes from boy scout to a gay basher.
Now, you buying this story about the cabby? Cedric is a small-town kid.
The driver could've thought it was a funny joke.
Yeah, Liv, he did think it was a sports bar.
- Yeah.
- That doesn't excuse him from beating somebody up.
All I'm asking is that you let us go back to the university, find out if something happened to Cedric that set him off.
You know, these football recruiting weekends, they get a little out of control.
Fine, follow up.
But in the meantime, he stays locked up on the assault.
So Cedric got arrested for a gay bashing.
That's a shame.
At least you found him.
Yeah, it's just completely out of character for this kid.
We're trying to make sense out of it.
I don't know what I can tell you.
We brought him up here, gave him the full pitch, but didn't get his signature.
It happens all the time.
Ooh.
Bull in the ring.
I didn't realize teams still did that drill.
Oh, you played? I played college, cornerback.
Good hips.
Well, then you understand.
I want these kids to be mentally tough, and he's learning that now.
It's a rough lesson.
Coach, we're just trying to figure out how Cedric ended up in Chelsea, drunk, out of control, after a pretty harmless dinner with your organization.
Nothing happened on our watch.
We gave him a tour, fed him a steak, and talked about the team.
Whatever he did after he left here, that's on him.
All right.
Break it up.
Break it up.
O-line, d-line, let's go to war.
You know what? That's Eddie Thorpe.
He's Cedric's host.
He said he'd smelled booze on Cedric's breath at the dinner.
More than the coach told us.
Eddie.
Detective amaro.
How you doing? How's it look? Hey, you got a sec? I talked to your partner yesterday.
You guys still haven't found Cedric? Actually, he's under arrest.
Wow.
What are you, a junior? Redshirt sophomore.
Oh, you got stuck doing that drill? I remember I got hit with it as a freshman.
I mean, maybe coach is pissed off you didn't close the deal with Cedric.
No, that wasn't my fault.
He already committed to Georgia tech before he got here.
All right, so the team gave the hard sell, the trip up here, the hotel room, drinks, and he still said no? But you guys didn't try and convince him any other way? I don't know what you're getting at.
I'm sure you're a great athlete, and a charming guy, but you're telling me you were the only one on the welcoming committee? Cedric seemed like a nice guy, apart from him already being committed to Georgia tech.
Well, anybody on the team upset about that? Why? It happens all the time.
When's the last time you saw him? I'm not sure.
Uh, at the recruiting dinner I guess.
We were supposed to take him to the airport the next morning, but he wasn't in his room.
We just assumed he got on his flight after partying all night.
Well, he didn't.
- Is he okay? - No.
He's been arrested for assaulting a gay man.
Oh, my God, was it Ty? Now who's Ty? If Cedric's filing a complaint against me, that's messed up.
It was just a prank.
We were hazing him.
Okay, slow down, what prank? The guys wanted to mess with Cedric.
I think he fooled around with some of their girls, even though he was already committed to Georgia tech.
What did you do, Ty? I didn't do anything he didn't like.
What was the prank? Tell us now, or this gets ugly, fast.
Fine.
You don't have to get all threatening.
Zoe and Tanya blindfolded Cedric.
They made him think he was going to get serviced, you know, by them.
But, when they took off the blindfold Was this your idea? No.
Look.
If the football team asks you to do something, you do it, all right? That's the deal.
I didn't get hurt.
He didn't get hurt.
I'm not in trouble, am I? Yeah, you may be.
Who put you up to this? You want me to name names on the football team? They'll rip me in half, all right? If you want to arrest me, arrest me.
You stay close to campus.
We'll be in touch.
Come on.
They straight-baited him.
That's why Cedric went off on that guy at the gay bar.
The panic defense? He can try that in court if he wants to.
That's just it, there are mitigating circumstances.
And Cedric was so confused, he didn't bring them up.
Nothing happened.
Well, we know something happened to you.
We talked to Ty.
I don't know who that is.
The male cheerleader.
Look, if he did something to you that made you uncomfortable, something that made you confused Listen, Cedric, we're here to Man, get your hands off me.
I'm not gay.
I'm not a fag, all right? Hey, take it easy, big man.
I didn't want that.
Calm down.
I didn't want any of it.
Okay, so we know that there are mitigating circumstances.
Can we tell that to the victim? He was gay bashed, he doesn't care why.
Can I talk to the D.
A.
, I mean, try to make them reconsider charging a hate crime? You can certainly try, and they may hold off for a while, but there is no chance that the assault charge is going away.
And don't forget, attacking a police officer.
No, I'm fine.
I provoked him.
Let that go.
What about the football team? I mean, when are we charging them? How about never? He was a consenting adult.
Yeah, with the two female hostesses, not the male cheerleader.
Yeah, but he was a consenting adult until they took the blindfold off.
Come on, Finn, it was rape by deception.
That's not something that we can charge in New York.
Well, how about rape three? You want us to arrest Ty, the gay cheerleader? Yes, that's a start.
Because maybe he's gonna turn on the guys that put him up to it.
And there's football players there that were Cedric didn't file charges.
Come on, man, I know you're close to the family, but you've done all you can do.
Finn's right.
Barba told me just last week to pick my battles, and this one is, just not a good one.
Wait, h-hold up.
Look, we know Zoe and Tanya, the hostesses, were in on this prank.
It can't hurt to talk to them.
Cedric is a victim.
He was sexually assaulted.
Aren't those the battles we're supposed to be fighting? You two a team now? Go, last chance.
But I don't want to hear about it again until you have something.
Copy that, sergeant.
What was that? You know those two.
The more I say, "no," the more they dig their heels in.
Want me to make sure they don't go off the reservation? Please.
Since when did we become the voices of reason? Sooner or later, you play all the parts.
On the charge of assault against Cedric Jones, how do you plead? Not guilty, your honor.
Given my client's state of mind at the time, I request this charge be dropped.
Your honor, our office has already been beyond lenient with the defendant in agreeing to drop the hate crime aspect of the charge.
The charge stands.
People on bail? Given the fact the defendant lives out of state, we ask for 25,000.
We request r.
O.
R.
, your honor.
He's a first-time offender with no record.
But no ties to the community.
I'm not going to let him walk out of here.
Bail is set at 20,000.
We don't have that kind of money.
Does your family own a home? They can put that up.
No, everyone's counting on me.
The day I get drafted, I buy my mom a house.
You've got to get me out of here.
I'll move for a trial date as soon as possible.
I can't believe this is happening.
I'm so sorry.
Ty's in trouble? He was just pranking Cedric.
Hm, help him out.
Tell me who put Ty up to the prank.
I can't do that.
Honey, it's not just Ty.
You and your friend Zoe were in on it.
We can arrest you right now.
What? How? - What y'all did, it's third-degree rape, Tanya.
Oh, my God, we're in college.
It was just a joke.
Was it? Or was it the team getting back at Cedric? Okay, okay, they were upset.
Because you told them? They asked me how it was looking, if he was going to sign with us? Who? You better start cooperating, 'cause right now, this hasn't gone public, but when it does Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down.
Cedric's blaming us? We know he was assaulted here before he went downtown.
Assaulted? Did you see the size of that guy? No way.
At the worst, he got pranked.
It was just a prank.
A prank? Look, just so you know, we're investigating this as a rape.
You guys deceived him.
No way.
Cedric deceived us and our girls.
He had already committed to another school.
Those girls consented.
And Cedric didn't consent to Ty.
He's saying he didn't want it? That's a lie.
Little Ty rocked his world.
- And you were there? - Yeah.
It wasn't exactly private.
- It was in this gym.
- In front of everybody? That's right.
A guy giving oral to another guy.
Look, so Cedric's gay.
We don't judge.
And you stayed and watched.
So you're gay, too? What? No.
We were just putting on a show.
Anybody take video on their cell phone? No way, that would be sick.
Yeah, that would be.
Listen, Jerome, Cedric's got a lot on the line.
If he has to pull you under so he doesn't drown, he will.
Look, I barely even talked to Cedric.
Eddie, that was his chaperone.
Why aren't you talking to him? Yo, you ducking me, Eddie? I gotta study.
Wait, study? You're a football player.
Wait, is that why coach picks on you, he thinks you're soft? I'll kick anybody's ass on the team and they know it.
Nobody calls me soft.
All right now what happened to Cedric, that's on him.
But I'm not some dumbass jock, so if you got a problem, read me my rights.
Otherwise, I don't have to talk to you.
Bucky puts himself in the room, but says it was consensual.
Well, Jerome swore no one took video.
Yeah, right.
Let's see if the D.
A.
's office can get us a warrant.
We'll have to move fast.
They've closed ranks.
You think cops have a blue line, football is all about sacrificing yourself for the team.
Like messing with that kid's head.
What's that get you, bonus points? Come on, you played football.
This kind of stuff normal to you? Look, I did things I'm not proud of, but you play together, you study together, you eat together, you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself.
If you ask me, the only thing different between a football team and a gang, is the gangs don't wear helmets and kneepads.
So what do we tell Rollins? She's wasting her time.
Cedric should take the plea, do his bid.
As long as he can sack a quarterback, he'll get a job.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Waited for you at the meeting.
- Yeah.
- Where were you? You know what? I'm all caught up in this case right now.
- Uh-huh.
It's a kid from my hometown.
Everybody down there is counting on me to take care of him.
Well, that's on them.
You got to worry about yourself.
If you're not working on your recovery, you're working on both: On your relapse.
I know.
I'm gonna get your money.
No.
I'm not worried about the money.
Okay, can we forget about it? Come on, let's just get out of here.
Ohh.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
No, no.
Hm? No, you don't have to do that either.
Right now, you need me as a friend.
Oh, right.
- I gotta take this.
- Mm-hmm.
Larry? My God.
Uh, okay.
Yeah, I'll meet you there.
He tried to hang himself.
They found him on the ground in his cell.
He's alive, but he's hurt, Amanda.
Lying in that hospital bed, his neck in a brace.
I was just with him this morning.
He was in good spirits.
We we prayed together.
Did the cos tell you anything? Just that he had some visitor today.
A girl.
He's our golden boy, He ain't never hit a speed bump.
He spends a weekend here, and his life is ruined.
Cedric.
It's Amanda Rollins from loganville.
The guard said that you had a visitor today, right before this happened.
We know it was Tanya.
Did she threaten you? Cedric? I can't tell you.
We can go after Hudson, okay? They interfered with the investigation.
They threatened a witness.
I'm not talking about this.
They have a video of me and We can make sure that doesn't get out.
The doctor says I can't play football.
I wish I had died.
I shouldn't have pushed him.
I mean, you said it yourself, Finn, "just let him do his bid.
" Amanda, this is not on you.
Oh, no? I feel like I've been on a real tear.
Every time I try and help somebody out, I just end up making it a lot worse.
Well, f inn's right.
It's not your fault.
That team did a number on him when he got here, and they kept hitting him.
And they had Tanya visit him at Rikers? To make sure that he knew they had a video of him and Ty.
Well, that's our way in.
It's witness tampering, blackmail.
Get her in here.
I swear, I never meant for that to happen.
Right.
You were only paying him a friendly visit.
He's a country boy.
He didn't know those guys, what they had on him.
So it was your idea to go tell him? Coach said he was worried about Cedric, that he knew I liked him and he thought he might listen to me more than anybody else.
It's really a tragedy what happened to Cedric.
It didn't have to happen.
That boy was entrusted to you, to your school, to your players.
He was sexually assaulted in your weight room.
Now, hold on.
Hold on, ma'am.
You have no proof of that.
Cedric Jones came here under false pretenses, and took advantage of our hospitality.
He wasted his time and ours.
I understand he had a fake I.
D.
, that he was drinking.
He got himself into trouble, and then tried to blame my players.
Some of your players did a number on him.
No, I asked every one of them.
I gave them a half an hour to tell me if they knew anything, and every one of them swore that they didn't.
This kid came here to party, or maybe to experiment in a way he couldn't down South.
He showed a lack of judgment and a lack of character.
He's 18 years old, and your players sexually assaulted him.
And then you sent in one of your hostesses to blackmail him with that video.
I think I've given you enough of my time, detectives.
We'll be going after your players for rape.
You do what you have to do.
It will be a teachable moment for them.
I'm sure they'll come out all the better for it.
It's like I tell them, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I told you, what happened between Cedric and some little twink doesn't have anything to do with me.
If you cooperate with us, we'll make sure that you get a fair shake with the D.
A.
He already gave you his answer.
Jerome, your lawyer is on his way.
It's your last chance to tell us your side.
My side? Some homo likes getting his pipe cleaned.
He looks up, sees everyone watching, and pretends he didn't know who was going down? Your friends are lawyered up, Eddie.
One of them is going to cut a deal.
No, they won't.
No, why? Because you're a team? No, because we barely did anything to that kid.
So he goes his whole life without an overdue library book then he comes here, ends up in jail, and later tries to kill himself.
Was he really trying? I mean, come on, he did a piss poor job of it.
Is this funny to you? You know, you and Cedric aren't that different.
One goal in life, make it to the NFL.
His neck's broken.
All right, that dream's over.
He'll never play football again.
And he's blaming us for that? He should be thanking us.
How do you figure? You said it yourself, he only lasted here a few days.
He's soft, all right? He would've never made a college team, let alone the pros.
- He's soft? - Yeah.
Not like you, right, Eddie? No, not like me.
There's nothing about me that's soft.
Right.
You know, he made a real point of telling me that.
Eddie's very concerned with who's soft, who's hard.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
When we first met, you were laying on the field.
You were being hazed.
It wasn't the first time, was it Eddie? It's nothing I can't handle.
Unlike Cedric.
So is that what this is about, you treated Cedric the way they treated you? There's just no room in football for a guy like that.
And what he went through, it was nothing.
'Cause you went through worse? Yeah, well, if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here whining about it, would I? You mean you'd take it like a man? Yeah, I'd take it like a man.
Like coach says, "what doesn't kill you.
" So you got it even worse than Cedric, didn't you? And you never told anybody.
You know, Eddie, I've been doing this for a while.
And I can see that you are You got a lot of weight on you.
And I can also see that you want to let it go.
No, I can take it.
I can carry it.
Carry what? What did they do to you? They do the same thing that they did to Cedric? That was nothing.
Nothing! Llike, compared what they did to you? Because you're tougher than Cedric.
You're tougher than all those guys.
Yeah, I am.
I'm tougher than Cedric.
I'm tougher than all of them.
Well, that must be tiring, huh? Carrying around all that armor, all that self-loathing.
Whatever they have on you, you put that on Cedric, didn't you? You think I'm gay? Is that what you're saying? No.
Why would we say that? Wait, is that what they think? Screw you.
Screw you.
Screw me? Yeah, I took it like a man.
Took what, Eddie? You They raped you, didn't they? Is that what happened? Coach said I needed to toughen up.
I did.
And ever since then I don't feel anything anymore.
So it turns out that Cedric had it easy.
Eddie thorpe got it much worse his freshman year.
Yeah, he missed a few down-field blocks, the coach was riding him, they caught him crying in the locker room.
He ordered two of the older players to toughen him up.
They sexually assaulted him with a broom handle.
And he stayed on the team? Yeah, he wants to go pro.
He could've transferred out.
College football is a small world.
He must have been afraid of what they'd say about him.
Leaving a school because of hazing makes you look weak.
They took video of Cedric, which means they probably took video of Eddie as well.
Is he willing to testify about all this? Well, he's not there yet.
But they don't know that.
Do you have the names of the guys who did this to him? Yeah, and according to Eddie, the coach ordered it.
And you believe that? A team like that, nothing happens unless the coach wants it to.
Pick them all up.
See if they turn on each other.
This isn't rape three.
This is rape one.
Yeah, that's some nice footwork.
What the hell is this? We're working in here.
Not anymore.
You're under arrest.
Arrest for what? Rape.
Of that boy? He's as queer as a $9 bill.
Whatever he got, he wanted it.
No, we're not talking about him.
We're talking about Eddie Thorpe.
You can't just come in here and start making accusations.
We're not making any, Eddie is.
Stand up.
Eddie.
What, you think he's got the balls to testify in court with me staring at him? No, not when he first got here.
But you've spent a few years toughening him up.
Let's go, coach.
Take it like man.
You and Cedric headed home? Yeah.
Cedric met with the man he beat up at the gay bar and apologized.
The D.
A.
explained what had happened to my nephew, so he said he wouldn't press charges.
He said that Cedric had been punished enough.
I am so sorry about all of it.
I mean, I keep going over in my head what I could've done differently.
The D.
A.
also told me that some of those boys at the school are going away for what they did to Cedric.
And not just to Cedric, a lot of other players too.
We're still looking, but so far, we found four guys on the team that were assaulted, even raped.
Raped? It all started with coach Becker, didn't it? I hope they throw him out of football for good.
He's going to get in a lot more trouble than that.
We'll see to it.
Hey, what are you doing? Oh, I'm leaving.
I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting? No.
I finally hit a lucky streak.
You know what this means? We're even.
Hey, Eddie.
The coach took a plea.
You're spared a trial.
Yeah.
I know you risked a lot, telling us what happened to you.
With an NFL draft in your future, it's not something you want getting out there.
Now, it's not going to.
I appreciate that, I do.
But, uh, I'm done with football.
If they ever found out the truth about me No one's going to find out, Eddie.
No one.
It's just not about me being assaulted.
Man, uh I am gay.
You think college was bad, imagine a pro locker room? I just can't spend another ten years in the closet.
I just can't do it.
Okay.
I mean, after all you've been through, that's a big sacrifice.
No, I'm taking the coward's way out.
The big sacrifice would've been to go pro and come out.
I'm just not ready for that.
Neither is the NFL.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Get that out of there.
Oh, my God, you cannot make that call.
At the end of the game.
They like to let the players, you know, figure it out on the court.
I'm kinda surprised, uh Cedric, there you are.
I've been looking everywhere for you.
Coach Becker.
I wasn't expecting to see you, sir.
Well, you're going to have to get used to that, 'cause if you play football here, we'll make you a star from day one.
Come on, there's a car waiting.
Ladies, this is Cedric.
Cedric, Zoe and Tanya.
They're your hostesses for the weekend.
- Hi.
- Hi, Cedric.
What do you think? Help Cedric get situated, girls.
He's a long way from home.
Don't be shy, come in.
Detective, you're not answering your phone.
Almost seems like you're ducking us.
Why would I be doing that? Tough loss today.
Ref blew that call.
Hey.
Nice dog.
Frannie, right? I'll get your money.
Don't go anywhere.
Nice, right? And we have another hour until the recruiting dinner.
Um, I'm sorry, I should tell you What? I'm a silent commit to Georgia Tech.
That happens, but you're here.
So we've got a shot at signing you.
The thing is, my uncle and I gave our word.
I've never been to New York.
Kind of why I came.
You sure there's nothing we can do to change your mind? It's all right.
Someone's glass needs refilling.
This party is just getting started.
Amanda, take it easy.
Thanks for doing this.
You look good.
Sorry you're in this position.
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate you offering to bail me out.
Well, the bar's doing well and the super bowl is off the chain.
I'm good for it, you know? I got a lot of O.
T.
Coming in, so it'll take a couple of weeks Forget it.
I know I poisoned the well.
Let me make good.
- It's just a loan.
- I do have one condition.
Not that.
Not that I don't miss it.
But you're coming to a meeting with me.
I don't want to hear "no" from you, son.
Now, something to keep in mind, this is the media capital of the world, so if you make here, you make it anywhere.
But, still, like you said, it is a long way from home.
My mom, my uncle, they they worry about me.
Anytime you miss your family, we can get 'em right up here from Georgia.
Come on.
I was eight years old, growing up in Georgia.
It was Christmas Eve and my daddy was, um, looking for the big win that was going to make everything all right.
He was so desperate, he drove us across the Florida state line.
Dog track.
He took me and my little sister with him.
And he actually tried to sneak us in, but there's no kids allowed, right? And we went back and waited in the car.
It was freezing at Christmas.
I remember our breath fogging up the windows.
My, um, my little sister was still asleep.
When daddy came back, he woke me up.
You know, this big smile on his face, a big wad of cash in his hand.
He was, like, "merry Christmas, Mandy.
All your dreams are gonna come true.
" Let me introduce you to some of the other players.
You've met Eddie.
Eddie.
CJ, what up brother? This is Bucky Dinucci, running back.
What's up? And Jerome Fields, outside linebacker.
There he is.
What's up, brother? Big man here isn't 100% sold on our program.
Eddie, maybe you and the fellas can give him a tour of our facilities after dinner.
Absolutely.
When you see what this place has to offer, you'll be hooked, trust me.
All right.
Last stop on the tour, the weight room, where boys turn into men.
Oh, damn! Better than your high school gym? Better than the Atlanta falcons gym.
It makes me want to hit the weights.
There may be something better for you to hit.
Oh? Hi, Cedric.
Yeah, y'all don't have to do this.
Yeah, we do.
So why don't we just sit down, relax, let the ladies take care of you? Ladies.
Oh.
Hey, Rollins, just got a call from the division.
Congratulations.
You were top ten in the city for the most overtime.
Yeah, I've been swamped, man.
A bunch of stuff came in all at once.
Yeah, you know, it's still the beginning of the year.
It's probably better to bank the hours, you know? You know what? Full disclosure Credit cards, the holidays, you know? So just go through me from now on, okay? - Absolutely.
- Okay.
Everything all right? NYPD needs to cut a few trees.
Amanda.
Can I help you? Larry Jones.
Loganville.
Your mother told me where I could find you.
Holy crap, Larry.
I haven't seen you since - since high school.
- Yeah.
You spoke to my mom? Yeah, she misses you, you know? Yeah, um, well this is my partner, Finn.
What's up, man? Larry and I used to run track together.
- That's cool.
- Mm-hmm.
What brings you up here? My nephew Cedric is missing.
He's 18.
He was up here on a Hudson football recruitment trip but didn't make his flight yesterday morning.
When was the last time you heard from him? When he landed Saturday.
Nothing since then.
Well, it's his first time in New York.
Maybe he met a girl, he's out partying.
No, not Cedric.
He would have called.
He wouldn't want to worry his mother.
Something's wrong, Amanda.
Okay, Larry.
You know what? It's good you came to me.
We'll track his cell phone.
We'll check with the school.
We'll find him.
Thanks.
Come on, let me get you some coffee.
Hey, what's that about? His 18-year-old nephew went missing in the city yesterday.
What's he doing at SVU? Well, they're both from my hometown, and I promised him I'd look into it.
I won't put in for it.
Do what you gotta do.
I know that, historically, New York City hasn't been perceived as a college football town, but, boy, are we changing that.
We've upgraded our facilities, expanded our recruiting base.
I've had to change the culture and teach our kids what it means to be winners.
Three straight years, our record's improved, and we just finished a strong recruiting weekend.
We're a few key pieces away from an undefeated season.
Thanks, guys.
All right.
Thank you, coach.
Thanks, coach.
- Thanks.
- Coach Becker.
- Something I can do for you? - Yeah, we're with the NYPD.
We're here about Cedric Jones.
Is he okay? We were all pretty worried when he skipped his flight.
Well, he's missing.
And he hasn't turned up yet? That does happen on occasion though.
These kids come to the big city for the first time.
Their parents panic, but they always turn up.
When's the last time you saw Cedric? At the recruiting dinner on campus Saturday evening.
It ended early.
Did you see him leave, maybe with somebody? I didn't.
But I had ten boys up visiting.
I had to make each one of 'em feel he was the only one I was interested in.
Do they serve drinks at these dinners? Are you kidding? They're 18.
When Cedric missed his pickup at the hotel, you called the police? I did.
We called the ERs too, but no sign of him.
Was anybody assigned to chaperone him or Yeah, actually, Eddie Thorpe.
Eddie! Yeah.
He's a sophomore wideout, knows our program better than anybody.
Hey.
Eddie, your coach said that you chaperoned Cedric Jones this weekend.
Yeah, a little.
I heard he missed his flight.
You were with him at the recruitment dinner? - Yeah.
- Did you see him leave with anybody, maybe mention where he was going next? No, he was keeping to himself.
He was well behaved, no drinking or acting out? I don't want to rat on the kid, but I smelled alcohol on his breath.
He probably had a couple drinks at the hotel mini bar.
I t the feeling he came up here to party.
We don't know that, Eddie.
All right, up-downs next.
Let's go, people.
Okay.
Eddie, you were his host and you thought he'd been drinking and you didn't keep an eye out? The kid's built like a tan I think he can handle himself.
If you'll excuse me, coach is preaching.
I gotta go practice.
Sure.
Taru got a ping on Cedric's cell.
It's a bar on eighth Avenue in Chelsea.
Amaro's headed over there.
Chelsea.
Really? How well does Larry know his nephew? We've been holding his phone.
I remember him.
I'm not blind.
No, just dumb.
He's 18 and you let him drink in here? He had I.
D.
and with a body like that, I wasn't going to tell him no.
He's from out of town.
He's gone missing.
Anybody talk to him? This one boy try to.
It didn't end well.
He got a little close to him.
The next thing I see, your thug pushes him off his stool, starts swinging at him.
He pushed his way to the front door, and then I called the cops.
Yeah, that's the kid.
His fake I.
D.
said his name was Octavius or "Dontarius" or something like that.
You the one that brought him in? Unis called me.
He's this way.
I was working plainclothes, looking for the Chelsea basher, four gay bashes last month.
Yeah, and Cedric fit that profile? No, but we were a block away when the call came in about a gay bash.
Suddenly, this kid bolts out of the bar.
We told him to halt.
He kept running.
He was in a blind rage.
It took four of us to put him down.
We had to tase him.
Oh, 'cause that's the only way to get somebody to listen to you.
You know what? I got, uh, I got history with this kid.
You mind if I take him? Be my guest.
Cedric.
I'm detective Amanda Rollins.
I'm from Loganville.
Your uncle Larry came up here looking for you.
Please don't tell him I'm in here.
What that guy did to me, he should be the one under arrest.
Keep your mouth shut, son, let's go.
I didn't do anything.
Then you got nothing to worry about.
He said, "get your hands off me, homo," in a gay bar.
What the hell was he doing there, looking like a black Ken doll? All right, all right, just calm down.
Calm down? Do you see my eye? It's cool.
You're safe now.
Can you tell me if you can see the man that attacked you? That's him.
That's him, which one? Four.
Number four.
Okay, you did good, Freddy.
I called his uncle.
He's on his way back.
Okay, meanwhile, we'll interrogate him.
Copy that, sarge.
I'm on it.
Not you, Rollins.
Amaro and I will take it.
Ma'am, I already told your partner this wasn't my fault.
Okay, Cedric, so why don't you tell me what did happen? He was all over me at the bar.
I told him to get up off me.
I didn't want to be getting aids.
Wait, you thought he was going to give you aids? He was trying to kiss me.
I told him I don't roll like that.
By knocking him out? He wouldn't listen.
Why'd he try to pick me up anyways? I'm straight! Cedric, you do realize that the bar that you were in was a gay bar? No way.
- They had hockey on TV.
- Was anybody watching? Look, how'd you end up there? I mean the Hudson campus is way up town.
I told the cab driver I was looking for a sports bar.
Wait a minute, y'all spoke to the people up at Hudson? What'd they say? Well, that you were at a recruiting dinner.
You missed your flight home the next morning.
And that's all they said? What, they leave something out? No, no.
I just want to go home.
Cedric you're in some trouble here.
The fake I.
D.
wasn't even mine.
They had one waiting for me in my room.
Son, you're looking at assault, maybe a hate crime.
That's not me.
Cedric Jones doesn't hate.
Is there something you're not telling us? I believe I'll ask for that lawyer that you mentioned.
The kid was I.
D.
'D in a lineup.
He's not denying the assault.
- Let the 12th book him.
- I know he's guilty.
But I have also known his uncle and that family my entire life.
They raised him right, and Larry swears he's not homophobic.
What else you expect him to tell you? So you're telling me that after one night in New York, he goes from boy scout to a gay basher.
Now, you buying this story about the cabby? Cedric is a small-town kid.
The driver could've thought it was a funny joke.
Yeah, Liv, he did think it was a sports bar.
- Yeah.
- That doesn't excuse him from beating somebody up.
All I'm asking is that you let us go back to the university, find out if something happened to Cedric that set him off.
You know, these football recruiting weekends, they get a little out of control.
Fine, follow up.
But in the meantime, he stays locked up on the assault.
So Cedric got arrested for a gay bashing.
That's a shame.
At least you found him.
Yeah, it's just completely out of character for this kid.
We're trying to make sense out of it.
I don't know what I can tell you.
We brought him up here, gave him the full pitch, but didn't get his signature.
It happens all the time.
Ooh.
Bull in the ring.
I didn't realize teams still did that drill.
Oh, you played? I played college, cornerback.
Good hips.
Well, then you understand.
I want these kids to be mentally tough, and he's learning that now.
It's a rough lesson.
Coach, we're just trying to figure out how Cedric ended up in Chelsea, drunk, out of control, after a pretty harmless dinner with your organization.
Nothing happened on our watch.
We gave him a tour, fed him a steak, and talked about the team.
Whatever he did after he left here, that's on him.
All right.
Break it up.
Break it up.
O-line, d-line, let's go to war.
You know what? That's Eddie Thorpe.
He's Cedric's host.
He said he'd smelled booze on Cedric's breath at the dinner.
More than the coach told us.
Eddie.
Detective amaro.
How you doing? How's it look? Hey, you got a sec? I talked to your partner yesterday.
You guys still haven't found Cedric? Actually, he's under arrest.
Wow.
What are you, a junior? Redshirt sophomore.
Oh, you got stuck doing that drill? I remember I got hit with it as a freshman.
I mean, maybe coach is pissed off you didn't close the deal with Cedric.
No, that wasn't my fault.
He already committed to Georgia tech before he got here.
All right, so the team gave the hard sell, the trip up here, the hotel room, drinks, and he still said no? But you guys didn't try and convince him any other way? I don't know what you're getting at.
I'm sure you're a great athlete, and a charming guy, but you're telling me you were the only one on the welcoming committee? Cedric seemed like a nice guy, apart from him already being committed to Georgia tech.
Well, anybody on the team upset about that? Why? It happens all the time.
When's the last time you saw him? I'm not sure.
Uh, at the recruiting dinner I guess.
We were supposed to take him to the airport the next morning, but he wasn't in his room.
We just assumed he got on his flight after partying all night.
Well, he didn't.
- Is he okay? - No.
He's been arrested for assaulting a gay man.
Oh, my God, was it Ty? Now who's Ty? If Cedric's filing a complaint against me, that's messed up.
It was just a prank.
We were hazing him.
Okay, slow down, what prank? The guys wanted to mess with Cedric.
I think he fooled around with some of their girls, even though he was already committed to Georgia tech.
What did you do, Ty? I didn't do anything he didn't like.
What was the prank? Tell us now, or this gets ugly, fast.
Fine.
You don't have to get all threatening.
Zoe and Tanya blindfolded Cedric.
They made him think he was going to get serviced, you know, by them.
But, when they took off the blindfold Was this your idea? No.
Look.
If the football team asks you to do something, you do it, all right? That's the deal.
I didn't get hurt.
He didn't get hurt.
I'm not in trouble, am I? Yeah, you may be.
Who put you up to this? You want me to name names on the football team? They'll rip me in half, all right? If you want to arrest me, arrest me.
You stay close to campus.
We'll be in touch.
Come on.
They straight-baited him.
That's why Cedric went off on that guy at the gay bar.
The panic defense? He can try that in court if he wants to.
That's just it, there are mitigating circumstances.
And Cedric was so confused, he didn't bring them up.
Nothing happened.
Well, we know something happened to you.
We talked to Ty.
I don't know who that is.
The male cheerleader.
Look, if he did something to you that made you uncomfortable, something that made you confused Listen, Cedric, we're here to Man, get your hands off me.
I'm not gay.
I'm not a fag, all right? Hey, take it easy, big man.
I didn't want that.
Calm down.
I didn't want any of it.
Okay, so we know that there are mitigating circumstances.
Can we tell that to the victim? He was gay bashed, he doesn't care why.
Can I talk to the D.
A.
, I mean, try to make them reconsider charging a hate crime? You can certainly try, and they may hold off for a while, but there is no chance that the assault charge is going away.
And don't forget, attacking a police officer.
No, I'm fine.
I provoked him.
Let that go.
What about the football team? I mean, when are we charging them? How about never? He was a consenting adult.
Yeah, with the two female hostesses, not the male cheerleader.
Yeah, but he was a consenting adult until they took the blindfold off.
Come on, Finn, it was rape by deception.
That's not something that we can charge in New York.
Well, how about rape three? You want us to arrest Ty, the gay cheerleader? Yes, that's a start.
Because maybe he's gonna turn on the guys that put him up to it.
And there's football players there that were Cedric didn't file charges.
Come on, man, I know you're close to the family, but you've done all you can do.
Finn's right.
Barba told me just last week to pick my battles, and this one is, just not a good one.
Wait, h-hold up.
Look, we know Zoe and Tanya, the hostesses, were in on this prank.
It can't hurt to talk to them.
Cedric is a victim.
He was sexually assaulted.
Aren't those the battles we're supposed to be fighting? You two a team now? Go, last chance.
But I don't want to hear about it again until you have something.
Copy that, sergeant.
What was that? You know those two.
The more I say, "no," the more they dig their heels in.
Want me to make sure they don't go off the reservation? Please.
Since when did we become the voices of reason? Sooner or later, you play all the parts.
On the charge of assault against Cedric Jones, how do you plead? Not guilty, your honor.
Given my client's state of mind at the time, I request this charge be dropped.
Your honor, our office has already been beyond lenient with the defendant in agreeing to drop the hate crime aspect of the charge.
The charge stands.
People on bail? Given the fact the defendant lives out of state, we ask for 25,000.
We request r.
O.
R.
, your honor.
He's a first-time offender with no record.
But no ties to the community.
I'm not going to let him walk out of here.
Bail is set at 20,000.
We don't have that kind of money.
Does your family own a home? They can put that up.
No, everyone's counting on me.
The day I get drafted, I buy my mom a house.
You've got to get me out of here.
I'll move for a trial date as soon as possible.
I can't believe this is happening.
I'm so sorry.
Ty's in trouble? He was just pranking Cedric.
Hm, help him out.
Tell me who put Ty up to the prank.
I can't do that.
Honey, it's not just Ty.
You and your friend Zoe were in on it.
We can arrest you right now.
What? How? - What y'all did, it's third-degree rape, Tanya.
Oh, my God, we're in college.
It was just a joke.
Was it? Or was it the team getting back at Cedric? Okay, okay, they were upset.
Because you told them? They asked me how it was looking, if he was going to sign with us? Who? You better start cooperating, 'cause right now, this hasn't gone public, but when it does Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down.
Cedric's blaming us? We know he was assaulted here before he went downtown.
Assaulted? Did you see the size of that guy? No way.
At the worst, he got pranked.
It was just a prank.
A prank? Look, just so you know, we're investigating this as a rape.
You guys deceived him.
No way.
Cedric deceived us and our girls.
He had already committed to another school.
Those girls consented.
And Cedric didn't consent to Ty.
He's saying he didn't want it? That's a lie.
Little Ty rocked his world.
- And you were there? - Yeah.
It wasn't exactly private.
- It was in this gym.
- In front of everybody? That's right.
A guy giving oral to another guy.
Look, so Cedric's gay.
We don't judge.
And you stayed and watched.
So you're gay, too? What? No.
We were just putting on a show.
Anybody take video on their cell phone? No way, that would be sick.
Yeah, that would be.
Listen, Jerome, Cedric's got a lot on the line.
If he has to pull you under so he doesn't drown, he will.
Look, I barely even talked to Cedric.
Eddie, that was his chaperone.
Why aren't you talking to him? Yo, you ducking me, Eddie? I gotta study.
Wait, study? You're a football player.
Wait, is that why coach picks on you, he thinks you're soft? I'll kick anybody's ass on the team and they know it.
Nobody calls me soft.
All right now what happened to Cedric, that's on him.
But I'm not some dumbass jock, so if you got a problem, read me my rights.
Otherwise, I don't have to talk to you.
Bucky puts himself in the room, but says it was consensual.
Well, Jerome swore no one took video.
Yeah, right.
Let's see if the D.
A.
's office can get us a warrant.
We'll have to move fast.
They've closed ranks.
You think cops have a blue line, football is all about sacrificing yourself for the team.
Like messing with that kid's head.
What's that get you, bonus points? Come on, you played football.
This kind of stuff normal to you? Look, I did things I'm not proud of, but you play together, you study together, you eat together, you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself.
If you ask me, the only thing different between a football team and a gang, is the gangs don't wear helmets and kneepads.
So what do we tell Rollins? She's wasting her time.
Cedric should take the plea, do his bid.
As long as he can sack a quarterback, he'll get a job.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Waited for you at the meeting.
- Yeah.
- Where were you? You know what? I'm all caught up in this case right now.
- Uh-huh.
It's a kid from my hometown.
Everybody down there is counting on me to take care of him.
Well, that's on them.
You got to worry about yourself.
If you're not working on your recovery, you're working on both: On your relapse.
I know.
I'm gonna get your money.
No.
I'm not worried about the money.
Okay, can we forget about it? Come on, let's just get out of here.
Ohh.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
No, no.
Hm? No, you don't have to do that either.
Right now, you need me as a friend.
Oh, right.
- I gotta take this.
- Mm-hmm.
Larry? My God.
Uh, okay.
Yeah, I'll meet you there.
He tried to hang himself.
They found him on the ground in his cell.
He's alive, but he's hurt, Amanda.
Lying in that hospital bed, his neck in a brace.
I was just with him this morning.
He was in good spirits.
We we prayed together.
Did the cos tell you anything? Just that he had some visitor today.
A girl.
He's our golden boy, He ain't never hit a speed bump.
He spends a weekend here, and his life is ruined.
Cedric.
It's Amanda Rollins from loganville.
The guard said that you had a visitor today, right before this happened.
We know it was Tanya.
Did she threaten you? Cedric? I can't tell you.
We can go after Hudson, okay? They interfered with the investigation.
They threatened a witness.
I'm not talking about this.
They have a video of me and We can make sure that doesn't get out.
The doctor says I can't play football.
I wish I had died.
I shouldn't have pushed him.
I mean, you said it yourself, Finn, "just let him do his bid.
" Amanda, this is not on you.
Oh, no? I feel like I've been on a real tear.
Every time I try and help somebody out, I just end up making it a lot worse.
Well, f inn's right.
It's not your fault.
That team did a number on him when he got here, and they kept hitting him.
And they had Tanya visit him at Rikers? To make sure that he knew they had a video of him and Ty.
Well, that's our way in.
It's witness tampering, blackmail.
Get her in here.
I swear, I never meant for that to happen.
Right.
You were only paying him a friendly visit.
He's a country boy.
He didn't know those guys, what they had on him.
So it was your idea to go tell him? Coach said he was worried about Cedric, that he knew I liked him and he thought he might listen to me more than anybody else.
It's really a tragedy what happened to Cedric.
It didn't have to happen.
That boy was entrusted to you, to your school, to your players.
He was sexually assaulted in your weight room.
Now, hold on.
Hold on, ma'am.
You have no proof of that.
Cedric Jones came here under false pretenses, and took advantage of our hospitality.
He wasted his time and ours.
I understand he had a fake I.
D.
, that he was drinking.
He got himself into trouble, and then tried to blame my players.
Some of your players did a number on him.
No, I asked every one of them.
I gave them a half an hour to tell me if they knew anything, and every one of them swore that they didn't.
This kid came here to party, or maybe to experiment in a way he couldn't down South.
He showed a lack of judgment and a lack of character.
He's 18 years old, and your players sexually assaulted him.
And then you sent in one of your hostesses to blackmail him with that video.
I think I've given you enough of my time, detectives.
We'll be going after your players for rape.
You do what you have to do.
It will be a teachable moment for them.
I'm sure they'll come out all the better for it.
It's like I tell them, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I told you, what happened between Cedric and some little twink doesn't have anything to do with me.
If you cooperate with us, we'll make sure that you get a fair shake with the D.
A.
He already gave you his answer.
Jerome, your lawyer is on his way.
It's your last chance to tell us your side.
My side? Some homo likes getting his pipe cleaned.
He looks up, sees everyone watching, and pretends he didn't know who was going down? Your friends are lawyered up, Eddie.
One of them is going to cut a deal.
No, they won't.
No, why? Because you're a team? No, because we barely did anything to that kid.
So he goes his whole life without an overdue library book then he comes here, ends up in jail, and later tries to kill himself.
Was he really trying? I mean, come on, he did a piss poor job of it.
Is this funny to you? You know, you and Cedric aren't that different.
One goal in life, make it to the NFL.
His neck's broken.
All right, that dream's over.
He'll never play football again.
And he's blaming us for that? He should be thanking us.
How do you figure? You said it yourself, he only lasted here a few days.
He's soft, all right? He would've never made a college team, let alone the pros.
- He's soft? - Yeah.
Not like you, right, Eddie? No, not like me.
There's nothing about me that's soft.
Right.
You know, he made a real point of telling me that.
Eddie's very concerned with who's soft, who's hard.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
When we first met, you were laying on the field.
You were being hazed.
It wasn't the first time, was it Eddie? It's nothing I can't handle.
Unlike Cedric.
So is that what this is about, you treated Cedric the way they treated you? There's just no room in football for a guy like that.
And what he went through, it was nothing.
'Cause you went through worse? Yeah, well, if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here whining about it, would I? You mean you'd take it like a man? Yeah, I'd take it like a man.
Like coach says, "what doesn't kill you.
" So you got it even worse than Cedric, didn't you? And you never told anybody.
You know, Eddie, I've been doing this for a while.
And I can see that you are You got a lot of weight on you.
And I can also see that you want to let it go.
No, I can take it.
I can carry it.
Carry what? What did they do to you? They do the same thing that they did to Cedric? That was nothing.
Nothing! Llike, compared what they did to you? Because you're tougher than Cedric.
You're tougher than all those guys.
Yeah, I am.
I'm tougher than Cedric.
I'm tougher than all of them.
Well, that must be tiring, huh? Carrying around all that armor, all that self-loathing.
Whatever they have on you, you put that on Cedric, didn't you? You think I'm gay? Is that what you're saying? No.
Why would we say that? Wait, is that what they think? Screw you.
Screw you.
Screw me? Yeah, I took it like a man.
Took what, Eddie? You They raped you, didn't they? Is that what happened? Coach said I needed to toughen up.
I did.
And ever since then I don't feel anything anymore.
So it turns out that Cedric had it easy.
Eddie thorpe got it much worse his freshman year.
Yeah, he missed a few down-field blocks, the coach was riding him, they caught him crying in the locker room.
He ordered two of the older players to toughen him up.
They sexually assaulted him with a broom handle.
And he stayed on the team? Yeah, he wants to go pro.
He could've transferred out.
College football is a small world.
He must have been afraid of what they'd say about him.
Leaving a school because of hazing makes you look weak.
They took video of Cedric, which means they probably took video of Eddie as well.
Is he willing to testify about all this? Well, he's not there yet.
But they don't know that.
Do you have the names of the guys who did this to him? Yeah, and according to Eddie, the coach ordered it.
And you believe that? A team like that, nothing happens unless the coach wants it to.
Pick them all up.
See if they turn on each other.
This isn't rape three.
This is rape one.
Yeah, that's some nice footwork.
What the hell is this? We're working in here.
Not anymore.
You're under arrest.
Arrest for what? Rape.
Of that boy? He's as queer as a $9 bill.
Whatever he got, he wanted it.
No, we're not talking about him.
We're talking about Eddie Thorpe.
You can't just come in here and start making accusations.
We're not making any, Eddie is.
Stand up.
Eddie.
What, you think he's got the balls to testify in court with me staring at him? No, not when he first got here.
But you've spent a few years toughening him up.
Let's go, coach.
Take it like man.
You and Cedric headed home? Yeah.
Cedric met with the man he beat up at the gay bar and apologized.
The D.
A.
explained what had happened to my nephew, so he said he wouldn't press charges.
He said that Cedric had been punished enough.
I am so sorry about all of it.
I mean, I keep going over in my head what I could've done differently.
The D.
A.
also told me that some of those boys at the school are going away for what they did to Cedric.
And not just to Cedric, a lot of other players too.
We're still looking, but so far, we found four guys on the team that were assaulted, even raped.
Raped? It all started with coach Becker, didn't it? I hope they throw him out of football for good.
He's going to get in a lot more trouble than that.
We'll see to it.
Hey, what are you doing? Oh, I'm leaving.
I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting? No.
I finally hit a lucky streak.
You know what this means? We're even.
Hey, Eddie.
The coach took a plea.
You're spared a trial.
Yeah.
I know you risked a lot, telling us what happened to you.
With an NFL draft in your future, it's not something you want getting out there.
Now, it's not going to.
I appreciate that, I do.
But, uh, I'm done with football.
If they ever found out the truth about me No one's going to find out, Eddie.
No one.
It's just not about me being assaulted.
Man, uh I am gay.
You think college was bad, imagine a pro locker room? I just can't spend another ten years in the closet.
I just can't do it.
Okay.
I mean, after all you've been through, that's a big sacrifice.
No, I'm taking the coward's way out.
The big sacrifice would've been to go pro and come out.
I'm just not ready for that.
Neither is the NFL.