Comments on: Column: The Aftermath of Brendan Gibbons

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 14:54:14 +0000

Deadline Detroit story: [link] It repeats the charges (from the Detroit News piece) that AnnArbor.com editors killed the arrest story in 2009. Surprise.

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 01:53:24 +0000

A heartfelt “thanks” goes out to Doug Smith and the Washtenaw Watchdogs for placing the Brendan Gibbons story in the local spotlight despite being almost totally forgotten for years.

The Office of Institutional Equity had no subpoena power nor anywhere near the investigative resources of the AAPD but nevertheless got the job done.

What was shocking to me is that the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office (per their claim) never even had the case submitted to them for review after the AAPD concluded their investigation. The fact that a witness is uncooperative is immaterial – police often seek charges in domestic abuse cases where a spouse is uncooperative as their testimony can be compelled.

By: Douglas Smith

Douglas Smith — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 16:43:11 +0000

John,

Daniel Patrick Moynihan said “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts”

Your opinion is not informed by the facts because you have not heard the victim’s side of the story and because you do not know the history of the whole Title IX issue and the University policies on sexual assaults.

You are in the opinion business but please take the time to get the facts before you become a UM apologist. It is just like how you jumped on the Gerald Ford / Willis Ward documentary bandwagon without checking to see that it was a myth made up for an election. You can read the facts on that story on my website. Don’t put yourself out there as a sports historian and then not check your facts.

By: John U. Bacon

John U. Bacon — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 21:20:49 +0000

Dr. Smith,

We can agree to disagree on the appropriateness of the University’s investigation and response, but not on this: I never mention Bill Martin anywhere in my story.

-John U. Bacon
johnubacon.com

By: DrData

DrData — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 21:46:53 +0000

From looking at your website you seem a wee bit obsessed with this case.

Are you following the disposition of other cases where UM women have decided not to press charges in a sexual assault or was the Gibbons case the only case in the past 4 years?

I think Bacon has it right: “Never turn a one-day story into a two-day story.”

By: Douglas Smith

Douglas Smith — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 00:35:02 +0000

If you are going to report on this you should get the facts straight. The University never followed its own policy in 2009. When the victim asked for an investigation by OSCR she was told that they could not hear her complaint because she didn’t go to a public trial. That was never a requirement under University policy or under Title IX. So don’t say that they played it straight.

You also have former AD Bill Martin claiming he never heard about the allegations against Gibbons. It was published in AA.com when it happened, without a name, but you are going to tell me Bill Martin didn’t ask someone, who are they talking about who got arrested.