THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: When sports intersects with law, society and common sense

The column today is shorter than usual.

There’s an obvious reason.

I’m asking you to consider an important question, and we can get to the heart of it without endless rambling.

I hope you’ll share your thoughts by sending emails to my address at the bottom of this column.

Now.

This isn’t about individual teams, or particular athletes’ talents, nor about tactics or putting together a roster.

No, we’re going to talk about law, society and common sense.

Sports only pops up here because, well, these things tend to get tangled together.

The subject is rape.

Specifically, how does the law (and the massive population on social media) respond to claims of sexual assault when the accused is someone famous?

It seems like there’s a new case every week.

An entertainer, politician, or in our case here, an athlete.

YOU MAY not know Thomas Partey.

He’s a 32-year-old soccer player, a world-class midfielder from Ghana who has spent the last few seasons with Arsenal — the north London team I support in the English Premier League.

He’s now a free agent, since his contract expired on June 30.

The story: Partey was arrested for rape in 2021 and again in 2022.

Authorities apparently did not have the evidence to charge him — it’s a pretty high bar for law enforcement — so Thomas has been free to play these last few years with Arsenal.

The principal of “innocent until proven guilty” applies in Britain just as it does here, so Arsenal (even knowing that Partey eventually could be charged) did not suspend the player.

Why not?

There’s the legal reason, since at that point Partey was not guilty of anything (a situation that still remains in place).

But Arsenal also was playing self-defense.

Around the same time that Partey was arrested, Manchester City fullback Benjamin Mendy was charged with rape, suspended by the club, ultimately acquitted of all charges … and was awarded just over $14 million by an arbitrator.

NOW, WE get to your opinion on cases like this.

Oh, and it’s not just a British puzzle.

I mentioned Partey because these charges are new, but there have been plenty of headline accusations here in the States.

Remember Trevor Bauer?

The Dodgers pitcher was suspended for two years for sexual assault and domestic violence, then had the punishment reduced by an arbitrator.

Even with the reduction, Bauer lost $37.5 million off his contract.

There are all sorts of these cases, scattered in countries everywhere — especially now that soccer stars are glamor athletes making huge money.

The system, though, seems like a mess.

There’s an arrest, a decision right then by the team, times goes by, the accused gets charged (or does NOT ever hear from police again), and even if it goes all the way, more than half the cases wind up with an innocent verdict.

Prosecutors believe that a huge number of possible victims never contact police, unwilling to go through the trouble and embarrassment of this difficult process.

So.

Please.

Give us suggestions.

How can this process be simplified and still be fair?

How can it be fair to the accused, to the alleged victim, and even to the team?

Yes, it’s touchy.

That’s why we need your thoughts.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."