Convicted Steubenville rapist will play football for Hocking College

A high school student who made national headlines after being convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl will play football for Hocking College this fall.Trent Mays was convicted on charges of rape and the illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. His high school teammate, Ma’lik Richmond, was also convicted of rape. The case brought national attention to their small hometown of Steubenville, OH. Hocking College is an open-enrollment school, but the football team requires tryouts. According to Al Matthews, the head football coach for the team as well as the chief of police for Hocking College, Mays “just tried out” for the team and was given no special consideration.“He served his time and now is being given the chance to reinvent himself,” Matthews said. “As long as the flag is red, white and blue and has stars and stripes, America will be a place where you are given the chance to reinvent yourself and try again.”Administrators pointed out that even if Mays hadn’t spent time in jail, he would still be free to attend the college.Betty Young, the president of Hocking College, said state law mandates that all Ohio high school graduates be accepted to the school.“We also do not place any limitations on who can participate in athletics, clubs and organizations, or other college activities,” Young said in an email. “All students are welcome in all college activities.”Being allowed to participate in extracurricular activities doesn’t mean Mays will have complete freedom, though.Hocking College’s housing policy says that students convicted of “sexually oriented” crimes are not allowed to live in the residence halls. The most recent application for housing makes special note of that, saying “Any student who has been designated as a sexually violent offender… or of any similar classification by any state or country, is not eligible for housing in any residence hall.”Mays’ lawyer Adam Nemann said Mays will solve this problem by living off campus and alone.Nemann also argues that Mays is unlikely to reoffend, saying crimes similar to his often have low rates of recidivism and that Mays came out of incarceration a “better individual.”According to Nemann, Mays went through the Offender Program at the Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek. Mays attended classes while there, and he finished his high school career at Indian Creek High School.“There was no doubt Trent wanted to go to school,” Nemann said. “There was never a time we thought he wouldn’t. All football is is an extracurricular. He’s served his time and was rehabilitated to the satisfaction of the courts, and I’m extremely confident in him going forward.”The lawyer of the victim did not return calls for comment.