Tennis Star Serena Williams Releases Statement Following Backlash Caused By Steubenville Rape Case Comments

Tennis star Serena Williams has released this statement after the backlash to comments she made about the Steubenville rape case.

The 31-year-old sports star referred to the case, in which a 16-year-old girl was repeatedly raped by two high school football players at a series of drink-fuelled parties last summer, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

The article, reported on by Deadspin, reads:

"We watch the news for a while, and the infamous Steubenville rape case flashes on the TV—two high school football players raped a 16-year-old, while other students watched and texted details of the crime.

"Serena just shakes her head. "Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don't know. I'm not blaming the girl, but if you're a 16-year-old and you're drunk like that, your parents should teach you: don't take drinks from other people.

"She's 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn't remember? It could have been much worse. She's lucky.

"Obviously I don't know, maybe she wasn't a virgin, but she shouldn't have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that's different."

The Steubenville rape case reached a decision in court in March as 17-year-old high school football players, Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays, from the celebrated Ohio high school football team, were convicted of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl at a series of alcohol-fuelled parties. 

Both boys used their hands to penetrate the helpless girl, reports said at the time. Mays also took photos of the half-naked victim that were later posted on social media sites.

He received a minimum sentence of two years in a juvenile correctional facility.Richmond got a minimum of one year in the same facility. Both could remain jailed until they're 21 years of age and could be branded sex offenders for the rest of their lives.