Hall of Famer Guilty of Statutory Rape?

Posted on April 28, 2008
Filed Under Criminal Law |

Roger Clemens, potential Hall of Fame pitcher (even with steroid allegations) was accused of having an affair with country music singer Mindy McReady.  Besides the fact that Clemens is married and a father, there is nothing illegal about that, except for the fact that McReady was allegedly 15-years-old when the relationship began.

The alleged relationship began when McReady was just a young, aspiring singer and Clemens was still with the Boston Red Sox.  Statutory rape claims can be common among celebrities, with athletes, actors and singers often involved in one-time sexual relationships with women who they know little about.  Actor Rob Lowe famously videotaped himself having sex with two underage girls at the Democratic National Convention in 1988.  Singer R. Kelly has ongoing legal battles over a videotape that shows him having a variety of sexual encounters with girls who are allegedly underage.

Any girl who is underage, 17 or younger, is considered a minor and all sexual contact is forbidden by law.  The age varies slightly from state-to-state, and the offender can be given some leeway if the parents are consenting.  However, the laws can be murky, and even a relationship with an underage girl can be illegal, regardless of any sexual contact.

An, unlike rape, statutory rape has nothing to do with consent of the individual.  A 16-year-old girl can be perfectly willing to have sexual intercourse with a 38-year-old man or woman, but the law basically deems the minor as unable to make that decision for him or herself. 

Written by Joe M

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