Stanford rapist Brock Turner has been banned from USA Swimming

We’ve all been tensely following the Brock Turner sexual assault case. Turner is a 20-year-old former Stanford student who has been found guilty of three felony counts — assault with the intent to commit rape, sexual penetration of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration of an unconscious person — and, although he was potentially facing up to 14 years in state prison, he was only sentenced to six months (and it’s now being reported he may only serve three months) in county jail and probation.

You may have heard through all the press that Brock Turner was a swimmer for Stanford, but USA Swimming has recently come forward to announce that Turner will no longer be allowed to participate in USA Swimming sanctioned events again. This is a significant ban, as USA Swimming is a major organization that holds many events for competitive swimming. It will have a significant impact on Turner’s career as a competitive swimmer.

In an email correspondence with USA Today, Scott Leightman, a spokesperson for USA Swimming, emphasized that Turner was not associated with USA Swimming at the time of his sexual assault. It happened in January 2015, and Leightman said, “Brock Turner’s membership with USA Swimming expired at the end of the calendar year 2014.” He also wrote, “He was not a member at the time of his crime or since then. USA Swimming doesn’t have any jurisdiction over non-members.”

Leightman finally said, “Brock Turner is not a member of USA Swimming and, should he apply, he would not be eligible for membership.  … Had he been a member, he would be subject to the USA Swimming Code of Conduct. USA Swimming strictly prohibits and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct.”

Given the disappointingly mild sentence he was issued in court, many people are glad to see that Turner will face at least this consequence for the rest of his life. Even though his sentencing has been decided, this case is far from being put to rest. People are coming forward on social media to support the woman he raped, and there have been several responses to Brock Turner’s father’s offensive open letter to the judge. Turner himself has been garnering more and more negative attention, and he will likely be branded as a sexual assault perpetrator for the rest of his life.

In the midst of it all, we still send all our encouragement and support to the young woman who was assaulted that night in January 2015.