• Art Jahnke

    Senior Contributing Editor

    Art Janke

    Art Jahnke began his career at the Real Paper, a Boston area alternative weekly. He has worked as a writer and editor at Boston Magazine, web editorial director at CXO Media, and executive editor in Marketing & Communications at Boston University, where his work was honored with many awards. Profile

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 109 comments on BU Men’s Hockey Star Arrested

  1. It sounds from this article that kudos goes to BU for handling this difficult matter quickly, appropriately, and within the bounds of the law and fairness. I am proud to be an alum and an adjunct faculty member.

  2. Good for BU, for having the guts to take these steps and not sweep this under the rug, and good for BU Today for having the guts to make it the headline story.

  3. What a sad day in Terrier Hockey history …

    If this story is true … and it’s hard to see where it falls apart, these are the acts of a VERY pathetic and selfish young boy who DESPERATELY needs help. Cory, if it’s not punishingly obvious to you by now … YOU HAVE A SERIOUS DRINKING PROBLEM! YOU NOT ONLY CRUSHED YOUR TEAM AT A TIME WHEN THEY’VE COME TO DEPEND ON YOU, BUT WORSE, YOU VIOLATED SOMEONE’S DAUGHTER/SISTER/NIECE/COUSIN/etc and there WILL be far reaching consequences for years into the future. With some old fashioned good fortune, perhaps you’ll be able to make things right and move forward with your life … but you MUST make a lot of really good decisions starting right NOW! Take responsibility for what you’ve done and be a man, that’s the first positive step forward.

    As a Dad, my heart breaks for your family … but my anger also boils as I have a college aged daughter and truly wonder what I might have done if the call came into my home from my distraught young angel who is the center of my world. Think about that Cory … use your brain.

    Many thanks to Jack for acting so quickly and decisively. We’ll just have to figure out this season some other way … but you’ll make it happen.

    ~An Alum … and long time BU hockey fan.

    1. MET is a regular college, like any of the others on campus. It does have a lot of night classes to cater to students who work during the day, but they have many day classes too. It’s no different than attending COM or SED or any of the other colleges.

  4. As a Dad and an alumni of BU, this is truly sad and disappointing to all involved.

    My oldest son is a Junior in High School and is in his second year playing Junior hockey. We have always instilled in him the need to not only work hard at his sport, but with his academics and to work on himself as a decent person. The organization for which he plays looks closely not only at the skill of a player on the ice, but their character off the ice. They can be the greatest player in the world, but if they are not a decent person, they will not play for his organization. Kudos to BU and Coach Parker as they appear to take the same approach.

    My heart goes out to the parents of this young player, as he has just thrown a great opportunity, one that very few get, right down the toilet. I know how hard my son works at the sport of hockey, how competitive it is and the very, very slim possibility that he would ever skate at the D1 level. That this young man could do what he did to another human being, and a young woman at that, is truly disappointing.

    I extend thanks to Coach Parker for doing the right thing. Having followed the Travis Roy story closely over the years and how Jack treats Travis as a son, it speaks volumes for Jack’s own character.

    It sounds as though BU and the local authorities are doing the right thing and handling this appropriately. My prayers go out to the young man who placed himself in this situation, the young lady to which he allegedly assaulted and the parents of both.

    1. Sure. The hockey program and the University do not operate under the guidelines of the criminal justice system. They can remove anyone they want from the privilege of playing sports. There is no right to play sports for a college. If Parker and the A.D. determine that they don’t want someone who is accused of this type of crime on their team, then it is their prerogative to dismiss him or her from the program.

      1. But they, like everyone else, operate under the guidelines of the civil justice system. In which case if these charges prove frivolous (and not saying they will), Trivino can easily sue the school for loss of future income.

        1. You are out of your mind if you think any player would be successful in such a suit. Leaving aside the issue of how you would ever prove what someone may make in the future as a pro athlete, the University owes no collegiate player any duty to keep them on a team. For example, if the university set an arbitrary gpa that payers were required to maintain and you don’t meet it, you are gone. Remember, these players do not have a contract with the university (arguably other than their scholarship) which I am sure has language giving the coaching staff and university officials the ability to revoke that scholarship for many different reasons.

        2. Hi Tim. I do have a question about your comment about Trivino’s ability to sue for loss of future income if you wouldn’t mind explaining. I would think that this would only apply if he were already in an income-earning position, like as a member of the NHL in his case or anyone working at a corporation, etc. But he is not. If he is in a non-income earning position currently and is released from that team, then there is no loss of future income. I wouldn’t think that he has any legal standing in saying, “Well, one day I might have been in the NHL (a job that in no way has been officially offered and accepted by him to start at a certain date) so I’ve suffered financially because of this.” I also might be incorrect on this part, but wouldn’t the jury or the judge in a civil suit need to have specific job and salary information before basing any kind of damages amount? I’ll give you a personal example to illustrate: right now I volunteer helping sexually abused children in different capacities because this offers direct experience for what I am eventually wanting to do after I graduate. I guess it could be construed like a college sports team because organizations come to places like ours to “recruit” people for open positions. If they fired me, how could I claim ‘loss of future income’ when that position does not exist? I’d like to hear any viewpoints, especially if any of you are attorneys who could help clarify.

          1. Hi Avery. As a member of the bar and a litigator, I’ll try my hand at this one.

            First, I agree with your thoughts about the difficulty of proving damages based on the possibility of future income. It’s true that you could hire expert witnesses to testify about someone’s earning potential, but in a situation where their current income is zero, that is a very tough sell in my opinion. Complete speculation is the phrase that comes to mind. For example, if a college basketball player ends up not getting drafted or has some horrific injury then their future earnings will likely not be as a pro athlete.

            As for your question about your volunteer job, the short answer is that I think you would be an employee at will (albeit in a volunteer capacity) and your employer can fire you for any reason or no reason at all (as long as it is not in violation of a civil rights statute or some other protective category, etc.). In the same way, you could quit without giving a certain amount of notice or a reason. I don’t think that person would have a claim for loss of future income, mainly because there is nothing to show either that you would have made a certain amount, or that you would have been entitled to any future earnings at all.

            Anyway, that’s my opinion on the issues you raise.

    2. He was kicked off the team because this was at least his THIRD violation of the alcohol policy. It was the right thing to do even if he ends up being acquitted of the sexual assault charge.

  5. I would love to see the police report for this incident. This seems a little out of the ordinary, I’m a junior here and let me just say its NOT at all possible to break into a room at 10 Buick street. If he was in the room, then he knew the occupants and was let in. Secondly, what a joke an “attempted rape” charge is when he indeed “left the room at the students insistence.”. Hmmm, this doesnt seem like the action of someone with the intention of raping someone. AND he was prepared to do all this woth a room full of witnesses? I doubt it. All I’m saying, is that there is most likely a relationship between trivino and the girl who is pressing charges on him, one which we will never hear about. And while this relationship obviously wouldn’t give him the right to do anything without her permission, I guarantee you all that this case is not so black and white. Don’t let this affect your outlook on him as a person because like I said, we don’t know and will never know the ACTUAL story, all we know is her story, and from past experience, this is probably not the most accurate of accounts.

    1. he clearly was involved with alcohol no matter what really happened. He should know that he represents the entire university by putting on the hockey shirt, and he did not act appropriately. No man is bigger than the team, big ups to Parker for doing what he did.

        1. I am of legal age and have been for a long time. Being of legal age IS NOT a license to be irresponsible with alcohol. Being of legal drinking age is NOT a license to be an alcoholic OR a nuisance to society. The idea that someone is allowed to drink thus they can do just whatever is offensive, ridiculous, and makes me ashamed to be a BU Terrier.

    2. It doesn’t say he broke into the room – it says he entered it.

      It’s a BU dorm – people leave their doors open all the time. He could have literally just walked in. That still doesn’t give him the right to grope a woman in it.

      The charges are indecent assault and battery, not attempted rape.

      And even if he were in a relationship with the woman, if she doesn’t want to be touched – he needs to respect that.

        1. The “sweetheart” probably wasn’t necessary in that comment, if you’re trying to prove a point. And to undermine a woman who says she has been touched inappropriately just perpetuates the situation. This is why so many of these things go undocumented, just because a person is an athlete.

        2. Your condescending, belittling response to a commenter with a female name indicates the misogyny that fuels your opinions and exactly how much credence we should give your commments, i.e., none.

      1. “Corey Trivino (MET’12), the leading scorer in Hockey East, was also charged with two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime and one count of assault with attempt to rape.”

    3. If this girl was really in danger, and it was in a room full of witnesses, wouldn’t they have thrown him out? He left when she insisted on it. If these people weren’t the ones to get him out of the room if it was a serious attempt at rape, they should be charged too..

      1. Any incidence of attempt to rape at all is “serious,” TS, and not a “joke,” C. Anyone forcing themselves on someone else in a sexual manner after being explicitly told to stop is committing an attempt to rape. It doesn’t matter if the assailant agrees to leave the room eventually. You can’t undo that action: Running someone out of your home as they attempt to steal your TV doesn’t mean they get to evade prosecution—you charge them with B&E and attempting to rob you. Intent counts.

        B&E: “illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense.” In this case, “building” would be her “room.” She opened the door only wide enough to speak to him; he forced it open fully, pushed his way into her room, and began kissing and groping her despite her repeated objections. Fits the definition to a T.

        And those of you saying he’s of legal drinking age: doesn’t matter. He wasn’t charged with being drunk. He’s being charged because he got so drunk he repeatedly did very stupid things. Read Drew’s link and then try to make some excuses.

        There was no “room full of witnesses.” There were witnesses. Witnesses aren’t charged because they can’t stop a drunk dude from being dumb. She was able to get him to leave, but he repeatedly came back and forced himself on her, and, as an RA, she believed she wasn’t able to refuse to open the door (a chance for BU to revisit policies and offer RAs clearer emergency instructions); she had to keep calling for help and forcing him out of her room over and over and over again. It’s horrifying and wrong and inexcusable.

      2. Hi TS. I wanted to address your comments (and noble ones at that) about the witnesses being charged as well if they saw an actual rape being committed and/or failed to help the victim. Since this touches on both “failure to render aid” (which I believe you’re getting at) and “failure to report a crime” (which thankfully these witnesses did but that is not the norm) I’d like to discuss both. Both are difficult lessons in how little morality has to do with the law. The information about reporting crimes against children is current info; the other statistics are from 2009. First, failure to report a crime.

        I have personal and legal experience with this so I can attest to the accuracy of what I’m about to say. Only 9 states require witnesses (by this I mean non-medical personnel in medical emergencies like car accidents) to report crimes committed against adults, but even these states vary in which crimes meet this requirement. The mention of “adult” is a very important distinction that I’ll explain in a second. The victim is fortunate to live in Massachusetts; most other places, she probably wouldn’t have these testimonies. This is very different when it comes to children, but not absolute as you would expect. This is where I have personal experience. I live in Texas, and our state law requires that any Texan must by law report any suspicion of abuse against a child immediately. You don’t have to be a direct witness, but you must report what you know. My case involved reporting officers in the Army’s abuses of children, so I was required to report on multiple levels. Texas, believe it or not, is in the minority: most states only require people like teachers, day care workers, officers, etc. (those who have direct access to minors as part of their job) to report. This is why the case with Penn State has become so convoluted. Pennsylvania does not have this mandate, so their lawyers are using this loophole to set their clients free (this is just from a criminal standpoint, not civil). This is why Sandusky’s neighbors who are reporting only now about hearing screams from children from his basement face no charges. They could have witnessed it, told no one and still would be fine.

        Failure to render aid is an even more interesting situation because it involves not only laws but a well-documented psychological phenomenon called “Superman Syndrome” or the “bystander effect”. Only three states make failure to render aid a crime (again, I only mean bystanders in non-medical situations); Vermont is the only state that requires citizens to step in if it doesn’t interfere with professionals or put him/herself in danger. With the bystander effect, the more witnesses there are to a crime, the less likely the victim is to receive any help. It’s why women in rape prevention crimes are taught to scream “Fire! Fire” if they’re ever attacked because everyone will come running only because the danger directly involves them. “Help!” does nothing. Look up “bystander effect” on Wikipedia; it’s a good description.

    4. ‘From past experience’? What past experiences are you talking about? Like I mentioned on another comment here, approximately 2% of all rape accusations are fabricated. People who ‘fake it’ don’t usually go through the traumatic experiences of retelling their story to officers and other officials, file charges, or sit down and prepare for the court process (where they will have to tell their story AGAIN, risking being traumatized for a second time). If you want to read the police report here it is: http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/12/13/breaking-corey-trivino-kicked-off-bu-hockey-team-2/

      There wasn’t a ‘room full of witnesses’ and she opened the door for him because she was required to as part of her RA duties. I understand that the report was posted online after you made your comment, but don’t blame the victim or claim that she is making it up.

    5. You JUST DON’T GET IT, do ya, kid?

      Who cares if he was let in to the room or not? His advances were unwelcome and constitute assault. Don’t let this affect my outlook on him as a person? Can I let LAST YEAR’s suspension affect my outlook? Y’know, when he got drunk underage and then didn’t show up for his punishment?

      Do yourself a favor and SHUT UP, and make better choices about who you consider a friend. Corey ain’t worth it, kid.

  6. It’s a sad day — for a young woman whose sense of personal security has been shattered by the violation, for a young man who had made decisions that will cause long-term, far-reaching damage to his life, for a collegiate team who has lost a major player and suffered an emotional blow, and for a university whose name is tied to an unsavory story. In light of the tragic losses, there are many positives about how BU police and BU officials have handled this situation quickly and without making exceptions for the perpetrator’s actions given that he is a high-profile athlete. As the mom of a female BU undergrad, it gives me great comfort to see how all facets of the university pulled together in making the right decisions. Hopefully others will learn from this — how a momentary lapse of good decision-making has impacted so many at various levels, and at the center, has caused two students to suffer irreparable damage to their young lives. Think people, think before you act!

  7. As a current student, this sucks for the hockey team, especially as they were just gaining a stride, but whats got to be done has to be done. We’ll see what happens in court, but whatever happens, best of luck to the victim and the alleged assailant. Hopefully things will be better in the future.

  8. Many, many kudos to BU for dealing with this issue promptly and properly. I know many other schools that would try to sweep something like this under the rug.

  9. Why is the guy off the team based on an allegation? At least allow a formal conviction. Females have made false accusations before. Coaches are too sensitive these days. Thanks a lot Penn State!

    P.S. After reading your comments, this goes to the rest of you. At this time, it’s an allegation. There is no need to criminalize a person. There is a perfectly good justice system to take care of your woes.

    1. well, going back to your PSU reference, JoePa did nothing illegal, but was still fired from his job. The schools and AD’s don’t have to wait to see if someone is found guilty to punish them. Playing collegiate sports is a privilege not a right.

    2. How dumb do you think coaches are? Have a little faith that they are smarter than even you when it comes to deciding whether something merits ejecting a player.

    3. Roughly 2-3% of reported rapes and sexual assaults are false accusations. Please do not fall for the myth that people make up these accusations for attention. If someone was brave enough to report an assault, they are generally very serious about the accusation. Probably, This RA will now be receiving a lot of unwanted attention as news travels fast in the the student village. I am sure she would have rather this never happened at all.

    4. Maybe because it was his THIRD VIOLATION OF THE ALCOHOL POLICY, stupid!

      No need to criminalize a person, huh? But I guess you felt the need to call rape victims liars.

  10. “Permanently removed from the team before he’s even proven guilty?”

    That’s a good question. Is he already found guilty? Not yet according to this article.

  11. As a big fan of the hockey team, this is obviously very upsetting news but I can’t help but be very proud of how my alma mater and Parker handled this situation. The hockey team still has a ton of talent and hopefully other players can step up to fill the void. Also hoping Trivino can somehow survive this as he had a very bright future ahead… all ruined by a lapse in judgment. And of course, best wishes to the victim and her family as they deal with this.

  12. As an alum, I wanted to thank BU for your handling of the situation. To the young BU woman; I commend you for facing the difficulties of reporting this crime. Your example will surely help many other BU female students. I’ll be thinking of you and hope that you are able to recover from this and be able to continue to thrive at Boston University. Always remember that this is in no way your fault.

  13. After reading all these comments, i am sincerely concerned as to my future, being a man. I think it’s Complete and utter bullshit that because a women cries rape, everyone rallies around her as if it is true. Let’s see some proof.

    1. Yes, let’s see some proof. Let’s ask the student to “prove” how she was violated, let’s embarrass her even further, let’s make her violation even more public and voiced than it already is.
      What kind of proof would you like to see? C? No one asks for this—only few, very few have the guts to speak up about it. I have no idea how the process of punishing a collegiate sports player for any act of misconduct works, all I know is that if more young women who feel strong and supported enough to speak up about being taken advantage of, (which, as R will next mention happens quite often between BU students), the better.

      1. It seems that you would deny Trivino the right to a fair and proper trial in which PROOF must be shown in order to prove him guilty without a reasonable doubt. Regardless of whether or not this even is true, the law must go through the proper process of handling this case which involves the gathering of evidence. We have to take her words and the words of others with a grain of salt. Her word that he assaulted her is not the undeniable proof to convict him. If this girl was really assaulted then it is in her best interest to provide that proof to the police in order to convict her assaulter. I am not an unfeeling bastard who wishes this girl to relive a tragic event, I am just someone who wants to see this handled properly.

        1. http://www.thebostonhockeyblog.com/2011/12/breaking-corey-trivino-kicked-off-bu.html

          That’s the police report. He attacked her three times and only ran out of the room when he heard her on the phone with the resident director. He forcefuly kissed and groped her even after she told him to stop. But sure, let’s get some ‘physical’ proof or else nothing happened. Most sexual assaults never leave physical proof. Additionally, only 2% of all sexual assaults are fabricated. The police report doesn’t sound like a misunderstanding or a joke. It sounds like a woman was sexually assaulted and had the courage to call the police and report it.

          The preliminaries for his trial will start in January.

          1. Thank you very much for this link and this comment. This is useful information, though it will doubtless be brushed off by those who want to believe that sexual assault is mostly fabricated rather than actually under-reported.

        2. T, providing evidence to the police is not the same as being made to provide evidence to all and sundry passers-by seeking any excuse to disbelieve those who report sexual assault, such as you and C.

          1. Now, Now, N.M. you seem to be jumping the conclusion that I am attacking the victim in this case. No, I am not. I am simply stating that I would wait until I knew the facts before I made any judgments on any party involved in this incident. Please think about what you are saying before you say it. Thank you.

    2. This has nothing to do with Trivino being a man. I’m sure if the girl had entered Trivino’s room and behaved in a similar fashion, then BU would have taken the same action. And, women don’t go around crying rape. It’s a complete myth. And people are rallying around her, because as of now there is more proof that he did assault her than of his innocence.

      1. Unfortunately, it is not a myth. There have been cases in which women have claimed to be sexually harassed or assaulted by a male (typically wealthy, famous, etc.) but investigators find out that the women lied and were motivated by either publicity or monetary incentive. And while yes, this is a small number of cases, I still think that we have to investigate her claims for it is the right and proper thing to do.

        1. “There have been cases in which women have claimed to be sexually harassed or assaulted by a male (typically wealthy, famous, etc.) but investigators find out that the women lied and were motivated by either publicity or monetary incentive”

          statistically speaking, these represent a small percent of the cases of rape, however. so while I will agree that every case should be treated with some degree of skepticism, that does not mean that we should believe a handful of cases that come to mind in the statistical minority and say, “well, this must be it.”

          but since you get to be skeptical, I do too. you’re assuming that “women have claimed to be sexually harassed or assaulted by a male (typically wealthy, famous, etc.) but investigators find out that the women lied and were motivated by either publicity or monetary incentive.” I feel like here you are confusing investigators with lawyers, particularly the wealthy party’s lawyers. just because the lawyer he paid out the ass for fought for him and found him not guilty does not mean he didn’t do it, and it does not automatically make the women wrong. again, I am not saying “well obviously the man did it and got his fancy lawyers to back him up” I’m merely saying please don’t demand we take the BU case with a grain of salt, while accepting the results of these few trials as proof that raped women are liars.

    3. Yeah, because I’m sure that she would have just made something up so that jerks like you could say she was lying. College Athletes are generally so venerated, that I’m sure that people are going to give her an extremely hard time about this. Why would you make something up that is going to make your life more difficult? The stigma behind being a sexual assault victim is so high that I doubt anyone in their right mind would make a false accusation, especially against a college athlete because of all the publicity. Do yourself a favor and Google “victim-blaming” before you shoot your mouth off.

  14. I’d like to see BU today do an article on all the guys who do this every weekend. Why just ruin Corey Trivino’s life? How about the rest of the cases that go uninvestigated, unpunished, and unheard? This only shows the disparity in our society of what is considered important – these “high-profile” cases – and what gets ignored – the every day horrors of these same situations. Trivino’s life is ruined thanks to this scandal, and this type of thing happens every weekend on campus but no one reports it then. How is that right?

    1. Just because there are other cases that happen every weekend that go unreported, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the right action on the cases that are reported. Your logic of Trivino’s life being ruined doesn’t make sense at all. She reported the case and he deserved the action that was taken against him. Yeah it’s sad that these cases probably do happen more often and they’re not reported, but that is not a reason to not take action on this case.

      1. To be clear, my above post never says that I think action shouldn’t be taken on this case. It should, and I’m saying, action should ALSO be taken on every other case like this, but it’s not. That’s the sad part. I don’t know Trivino personally but I think it’s pretty fair to say that right now his life is ruined – he’s off the hockey team, his future in the NHL is most likely gone, and now he and his family have to endure this whole process. I’m not commenting on whether or not I think he “deserves” it because that’s not my place to say but, I think that makes sense.

    2. I COMPLETELY agree. While I can’t speak for the girl in the story as to what really happened, from how the article makes it sound, this is something that occurs on MOST occasions when a girl goes out to a party/bar/etc. Yeah, Corey may not be getting special privileges but if that’s the case then there are many other guys at BU and colleges across the country who are.
      In no way am I saying anything like this right to do, I’m just saying it happens all the time and because he’s an D1 athlete it’s getting so much attention and he’s getting treated like he’s one of the worst people on earth. I don’t think it’s right for anyone to be judging this situation with the few details that have been released.

    3. You’re absolutely right! Approximately 1 in 4 college women will be raped or sexually assaulted during their time in college.

      Unfortunately, sexual assault is one of the most under reported crimes in the country because people don’t know that what happened to them was assault, they are afraid of speaking up, they are ashamed, or they don’t want their attacker to get in trouble because they know them. In the majority of sexual assault cases (over 80%) the victim knows their attacker at least casually. Many victims are afraid to come forward because they don’t want to “ruin the life” of a friend or acquaintance. I truly hope that this RA’s brave actions will encourage other victims of rape and sexual assault to come forward and face their attackers.

      More information on types of sexual assault and help for victims can be found here: http://www.rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault

      However, I do have to disagree with you on one point. BU Today didn’t ruin Trivino’s life – he did that to himself.

  15. Woah, hold on a sec. I must commend BU for taking swift action and not giving Corey and special privileges just b/c he’s on the hockey team, but what did the article mean by saying that he “left the room at the students insistence”? I feel like there’s more to the story here

  16. Kudos to how Jack Parker handled this specific issue, but he needs to shoulder the blame for not kicking Trivino off the team before. Trivino has had many issues here at BU and Parker did not give him comparable punishments because of his talent level. There have been many players that Parker has kicked off the team for much less (Glass last year for going to a final).

  17. 99% of the people on this blog do not know Corey Trivino personally. Therefore they should refrain from making such ruthless comments about the type of person he is. If you have nothing better to do than comment on a hockey blog in the middle of the day, then maybe you should realign your priorities. Corey is a good kid who made a mistake. I’m not being insensitive to the victim and her family and am not, by any means, condoning what Corey did. He has a tough road ahead of him and I hope he takes the right steps to recovery. My thoughts and prayers go out to both parties involved in the incident.

    1. While I’m not disagreeing with your points I think its also fair to say they don’t know the victim, and you probabyl dont either, so lets not place blame anywhere. And you’re posting in the middle of the day as well, so i’m not sure how you can insult others for doing the same.

    2. I don’t disagree with most of what you said. However, Mr. Trivino is a public figure. He is a student-athlete playing hockey at a school that glorifies the sport. There is a certain amount of attention from the media and the public that goes along with that. This attention is also more intense when you allegedly commit a crime. Whether or not he is a “good kid” is beside the point.

      On a related note, he is 21 years old and hardly a kid. By all accounts, he is a grown man and will be treated as such when he is back in District Court. I am not saying that he is guilty of these accusations at all. I am saying that he finds himself in this situation because of choices he made and he now has to deal with the consequences of those choices, whether he is eventually proven innocent or not.

  18. There are two sides to every story and I’m interested in hearing further details. BU has handled the situation the way they feel they should and while it may be too soon so assume the allegations are true, they would be getting slack if it were the other way and they waited to find out if its all true. In BU’s position, they will never be “right”.
    As for the allegations- Was it that the big shot hockey player thought his name could keep him from such trouble? Or was it that this girl knew the name could make the story juicier? I don’t know which way to hope because if she lied, she ruined a promising young mans entire future.
    As a female that went to college, it is not unusual to have these things happen. That said, it doesnt make them right but it doesnt make them wrong. Just because a guy tries to kiss you does not mean his intent was rape. Also- if he was going to rape her why did he leave when she insisted he did so?

    1. Great points. I, like many other people that have commented so far, feel that BU made the right decisions, but am also waiting for more details to surface. There’s just too much missing, from both sides of the story, to piece together what exactly happened.

    1. Interesting. I was one of those waiting for more details before I placed judgment, but after reading this, all actions taken against Trivino by the police and university were completely justified.

  19. As the father of two sports minded, young, boys, I always knew I would have to teach fair play, the ability to win with class and dignity and try to make them understand how they should always behave in a manner ” to make your family proud of you”. Thankfully, they have never had one of their favorite players “let them down” in the way they carry themselves, act or play their respective games. Until last night that is. Now I have to explain the do’s and don’ts of alcohol as well as no means no…UGH…

    I have met Corey, he has been very generous to my family, in terms of his time, his attitude when dealing with my sons and his generous nature of handing stuff to them at the arena. This is NOT the young man we have come to befriend and is such a shock and disappointment to me, as both a fan and a father. I am going to have to have a very dificult discussion with my 8 and 10 year old sons, but will use it as a teaching moment when I sit down with them later tonight.

  20. This needed to happen….I know that sounds horrible, but an example needed to be
    made of what happens when “Party like a Puckstar”. These players literally think they’re gods on earth, that they walk among mortals. Well guess what, you’re one of them too. I hope the rest of the team takes this as seriously as BU did.

  21. Bottom line here, folks. He was nearly kicked off the team last season. He should have realized the safety net was removed after that. Coach Parker should be commended for doing the correct thing.
    For us, it would seem that it was a tough decision; I bet it was a very easy one for Coach Parker.

  22. The whole situation is very unfortunate. From reading both articles: it’s still a very hard sell that he intended to rape. He seemed arrogant enough–or intoxicated enough under lowered inhibitions–to assume the girl wanted to reciprocate his actions. What we don’t know, and cannot see, are the mannerisms occurring between both parties in those moments. We can read the action the victim took and even her words, which, perhaps erroneously, leads us to assume it was more hostile than it really was.
    We don’t know if they were both smiling and laughing, or if either came across as flirtatious during their exchange. However, what is evident is that she closed the door twice–a big indicator that she wasn’t feeling whatever ‘game’ he was selling. Another point: what stood out most to me was that after being asked to quiet down–a legitimate exercising of her duties and authority as an R.A.–he followed her to her room. That was odd behavior. What does appear are signs of an overinflated ego (e.g. kicking off his shoes to claiming he would stay the night) exasperated by his incorrect assumption that this girl was–or would become–interested in him. When she said “you need to stop” and “you need to go,” followed by a door in the face, the light should have gone off in his head that it wasn’t going to happen. Her reactions were justified if she felt scared, and, even if his intentions were not as charged, he had overstayed his welcome.
    It’s a shame none of his friends came to his aid and made him aware that he needed to go lay down, or that his actions were not in keeping with his character. The alcohol may have seriously diluted his ability to judge rationally the reality of the situation–not an excuse, just a problem with alcohol in combination with people who are overly affected by its chemical elements. If he had a problem in the past with drinking, then it’s sad it came to such a seriously charged incident. The evidence does not suggest–judging by the article–that he is a predator. He should have been mandated to attend counseling and a substance abuse program; the coach should have had his teammates keeping their eye’s on him as well. That’s what a team is and what it does. The University took the actions they felt were necessary, and we have to have faith in their decision. These are not incompetent people when you’re talking about B.U.–highly educated, professional, and top-tier. So, it’s important to see the Universities stance on athletic professionalism. It does seem someone missed the mark in terms of counseling for this student, and that is sad. The girl–who’s identity is rightly protected–was scared enough to call for help. That’s a fact, and she did the right thing. We don’t know that she even knew who he was; however, she did ask him to leave and he pressed on.
    However, the assault charges hold a connotation of violence that may or may not have, actually, been present. So, it’s equally important not to make the athlete out to be a predator of some kind based on the aforementioned evidence. Many posting show bias on one side or the other (e.g. overly protective of the girl or overly aggressive towards athletes in general), and not enough evidence drawn strictly from the article. The situation is unfortunate for everyone involved and the negate externalities extend beyond the dorm room. You hate to see someone’s career ruined if the allegations turn out to be false. However, he should have quickly removed himself from that situation. It would be nice if he could still graduate and have a shot at a life, regardless of hockey.

    1. You make two assumptions here that I think are pretty flawed. One, the idea that anyone but Mr. Trivino should be held responsible for his actions (he’s an adult); and two, the idea that being touched in a sexual manner without consent isn’t inherently hostile and violent (it is). To speculate about whether or not the accuser was “smiling” or “flirtatious” is obvious victim-blaming.

      1. Beth:

        I don’t follow your logic, nor your comprehension of what I wrote. In no way did I suggest the accused is without blame. I said it was unfortunate–given his stated prior history–that he was not sent to substance abuse counseling. Something that may have helped prevent such actions–had it occurred last year when they recognized he had a problem. That’s a legitimate statement, as professional treatment helps many people align some internal flaws. Furthermore, I stated several times that she was in the right. I also addressed his “odd” behavior, and, possible, lack-of-ability to see the reality of what he was doing. Maybe he was completely aware–I don’t know that for sure–but it doesn’t mean the alcohol argument wasn’t a factor. (By the way I already stated that, regardless of alcohol, it wouldn’t have justified his actions–so you can save your breath on that point.) You’re correct: he is an adult. However, that doesn’t mean previous actions couldn’t have been taken, which may or may not have prevented such an unfortunate incident. I never alluded that he was free of responsibility, either. As to your rather moot point about hostility: there is nothing in my argument suggesting your interpretation. I was pointing out what we don’t know about the mannerisms between BOTH individuals–nice how you erroneously chose to use a direct reference to the “accuser” that was blatantly absent from my argument. It was a reference, given the context, to how this kept building up the way it did. And, on a side note: I would like to see where in the R.A. by-laws it states that a male/female must open the door when they are in fear of their own personal safety? I find that argument highly questionable. Furthermore, I articulated my commentary equally objective to both sides. Many people were absolute in their judgement, with limited reference of the evidence available. We can only go off of what the article(s) tells us. I aimed to point out that Mr. Trivino–albeit deserving of whatever action the University and law enforcement deemed appropriate–may, possibly, not have been the ‘predator’ he was being made out to be by some commentators. When you see ignorance claiming that “no one would fictitiously claim rape,” well that’s pretty scary. There was never any intent to marginalize the accused claims, either. I think it was obvious I said she “did the right thing”–especially if she felt unsafe. Also, the assumption of hostility or violence was regarding whether or not the accused displayed intentions to rape. Based on the article, I didn’t see evidence to suggest the aforementioned charge. I still don’t. Yet, that doesn’t mean he was in the right or didn’t deserve disciplinary action. I don’t think anyone is arguing that forcing yourself in a sexual manner isn’t considered hostile or violent. If that’s all you took from my arguments then I would like to state such a thing is ludicrous, and not even close to what I was trying to project. However, we weren’t there to witness the interaction between either party, and, despite his unwanted advances, it doesn’t mean he was trying to rape the girl. I was speaking about one specific notion (rape), not assault or battery. And, you can be pissed off– interpreting my argument as being against one side or the other–all you want; I am not going to apologize for seeing some holes in the story and bringing them to light. A lawyer is going to do the same thing, and we will find out just how much holds water down-the-line. In fact, I would say you’re bringing feminine biases into your attack on my “flawed” statement, and, perhaps, you’re only seeing what you want to see as opposed to what is written.

        1. 1. You make several references in your reply to things I didn’t say. The statements about the responsibilities of the RA can be attributed to other commenters. Also, I did not say that false rape accusations are never made.

          2. You made several statements in your original comment about what others should have done to prevent Mr. Trivino’s behavior. I was simply disagreeing with you, and still do, because it is not anyone’s responsibility but his to not assault other people.

          3. You made a couple of statements questioning the hostility and violence of the situation. I contend that there is no mistaking the hostility or violence of someone touching you with your consent.

          4. I find it amusing that you think I am bringing “feminine biases” into my argument, given that nothing in my original reply suggests that I am female except that I have a commonly feminine-identified name. The content of my reply suggests only that I find sexual assault and victim-questioning/blaming behavior to be repellent.

          It seems to me that perhaps you have some biases of your own. Thanks for the laugh, though!

          1. 1. I was given you contextual perspective as to my original post, and its broad application –including other commentary. It was an attempt to alleviate confusion.

            2. We can agree to disagree on that point. If you re-read I addressed this, as well. It wasn’t then, and still isn’t now in reference to his assault. Each article mentioned a substance abuse problem. If you think people/adults–even student athletes– shouldn’t be counseled or helped with substance abuse, then I am at a loss for words. A baffling notion on the point of absurdity. We will never see eye-to-eye on that.

            3. I think I substantially clarified. No need to repeat myself. Actually, I don’t even think we are in disagreement on this.

            4. Really? Are we going there now? You’re digging pretty deep in saying that “Beth” is merely a “commonly feminine-identified name.” Perhaps you’re, indeed, a male and that’s your alter-ego. Otherwise, you would be the first male “Beth” I have come across. My apologies for making a gender assumption as to your notoriously feminine associated name. How ignorant of me. (Yes, leaving room for a cheap shot here–have at it!)

            Bonus:

            *5. You clearly defended the accuser over my original ‘flirting’ comment, when my post clearly implied both parties. Did you not make that up out of thin air? Otherwise where did you draw that from?

            *6. I enjoyed a laugh as well! So the feelings are, at least, reciprocal. :o)

  23. Parents,

    As a student at BU I can tell you that this kind of behavior occurs at every college party. Sexuality is a natural part of growing up but the way in which young people today exhibit and come to terms with their sexuality would shock you. I think parents don’t realize that their own sons/daughters are subject to this kind of behavior all the time. Girls at BU (and every college) go out in heels, short skirts, and cleavage revealing dresses every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Casual sex is not uncommon and, while this is fine if both parties are sober, that’s often not the case. I think almost every girl I know has experienced unwanted sexual advances, and almost every boy I know (yes, even the nice, moral ones) has objectified or otherwise mistreated a girl at a party before, even if just to impress other male friends. Boys joke all the time about “banging” girls. I don’t know what the problem is, exactly, but i think that it has a lot to do with the way that sexuality is dealt with in the U.S. The subject is rather taboo and yet we live in an open, free culture. Thus, young people are not educated openly by their parents and mentors about sex and are instead taught by friends and, though it’s cliche to say, the media. Thus, we develop a causal outlook and rather callus perspective of sex. I think each parent would be very surprised to know how many people their “kids” who are really young adults, have slept with. BU is dealing with this issue because it’s public and necessary for business. But the fact of the matter is that drunken sex and unwanted advances occur every weekend at BU and every other college. The problem is a cultural one and much more widespread than parents and adults realize.

    1. E.L.L., as a new BU alum, I agree that this problem is more widespread than a lot of people may realize. I must, however, address your comment about girls wearing revealing clothing. The practice of shaming women on the basis of the clothing they wear, even if provocative/revealing, only feeds into the completely incorrect notion that women as victims of sexual assault can be blamed for the situation; a short skirt is not an automatic invitation to sex, it’s a short skirt. It doesn’t matter if more of a woman’s body is exposed than covered or if she’s covered from head to toe, no victim of sexual assault is ever “asking for it”.

      That being said, I agree that many of our peers have a very unhealthy perception of sex and what constitutes morally permissible behavior, regardless of alcohol intake. As desperately as our generation may need a reality check, none of this has any bearing on this particular case. Trivino made repeated sexual advances toward a woman who was not interested, did not want him there, and tried to get him to leave. That constitutes assault.

    2. Sorry, but your case really makes no sense. A discussion of sexuality, morality and the way we as a society approach this sort of matter today in the US is completely off the point and impossibly naive. Shame on you as a(n apparent) student for being one inch deep and a mile wide. This isn’t sophomoric fun gone awry, it crossed that line right after the authority figure stepped in and asked for peace and quiet to be restored and then rapidly from there actually became a criminal matter!

      – This was not a ‘party’ with a woman in high heels and a tight skirt … ‘banging girls’ sort of thing. She wasn’t at a party as a party girl or his date. This was the female RA on a floor who stepped in to interrupt what was going on – most likely after hours probably in her sweat pants and probably annoyed at having to leave her room to do so. The differences between this woman and the female waitress who has to fight off the wandering hands of a drunk patron are actually few … except this wasn’t a waitress playing a game for tips, but rather this was a flight attendant (authority figure) and a drunk knocklehead business guy thinking he owned the plane!

      – She told him NO at least three times (which probably dovetails with the three separate counts but that’s pure conjecture) and he kept returning as if NO meant something like YES. Drunk AND stupid are no way to go through life …

      – While he didn’t display any violence (or at least none was reported), he did demonstrate an incredible lack of sensitivity, especially for a man who carried a public profile … it’s just not acceptable behavior at any time from anyone!

      – Playing hockey, or even attending BU is a privilege … it is not a right! Jack did the right thing as did the entire athletic office. Dean Elmore did exactly as you’d hope he would have done. Housing has done what they should have done. And lastly, the young woman did what she felt was necessary … and how great is it that she had the courage to do so … just excellent!

      Ya see E.L.L., I am a parent. I’ve put each of my kids through BU. I’m also an Alum of the University. And as a resident of the planet, I’m all too aware of what happens in Vegas … as I’m sure your parents are too much to your chagrin.

      We all should know when something has crossed the socially acceptable line, and also know when something has blasted through the sexual harassment line too. This certainly appears to have left that latter line way in the rear view mirror.

      It’s really right v wrong 101 … pretty elementary.

    3. Here’s a news flash: as a parent, I am aware of how students dress and what goes on every weekend regarding drugs, sex and rock and roll. As a mother of two daughters, I take offense at your assumption that just because a girl is dressed provocatively, she is advertising her availablity to men. Both of my daughters are stylish and dress in versions of what you describe, yet are as tasteful as possible, considering what is available in the stores. Neither are skanks, neither are into random “hook ups” and certainly do not go out with the intent to entice young men to grope or molest them simply by what they are wearing–elite hockey player or otherwise. Here’s an idea: HOW ABOUT THE BOYS CONTROLLING THEMSELVES???

      Moving on….are you suggesting this RA was dressed in a short skirt, high heels and clevage-revealing shirt? I doubt it. So your theory that clothes lead to “these things” is dead in the water. Here’s the deal: it sounds like this kid was a disaster waiting to happen. Parker gave him several chances to clean up his act. He didn’t listen, didn’t recognize his alcohol was a problem until now…and it might just be too late.

      I am thankful and so proud BU has handled this situation swiftly and sensitively. I hope this is a GIGANTIC wake up call to ALL of the males students. With any luck, Coach Parker will put some type of program in place for his team regarding how the team should conducts itself OUTSIDE of the rink.

      1. You do realize there is a peephole.. she doesn’t need to answer that if she feels threatened.. are you trying to say.. someone is standing there threatening her and she *has* to open the door? No. Who is going to turn her in anyways? Don’t be an idiot

        1. First, please don’t attack me personally.

          Second, what if he was knocking on her door telling her that someone had fallen down the stairs and was seriously injured? What if she thought he needed help? I am not the victim and I cannot speak for her, but she is an RA and RA’s are required to help residents when they knock on her door. She was doing her job.

          Sure she might have felt threatened, so maybe she panicked. The police report didn’t state that Trivino was threatening her, only that he was banging on the door. It states that she opened her door slightly to tell him to stop and that he pushed his way inside.

          Regardless, what happened to her was not her fault in any way whatsoever. The only thing she is ‘guilty’ of is doing her job.

  24. Coach Parker on his decision to cut Trivino from the team:
    “Corey knew exactly where he stood,” Parker said. “It’s sad but it’s simple for me. Corey knew in September that if he had another alcohol-related incident on campus or off campus, he would be gone from the team.

    “I asked him [Monday], ‘What do you think I’m going to do to you, Corey?’ He said, ‘You’re going to kick me off the team.’ I said, ‘Why do you think that?’ He said, ‘Because you told me in September that you were going to kick me off the team if I had another alcohol-related incident.’ And I said, ‘That’s correct, and here we are.’”

    http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/12/13/parker-trivinos-actions-leave-no-question-in-my-mind-its-an-alcohol-problem/

  25. I think BU Judicial Affairs, Athletics, and Coach Parker absolutely made the right decision. Athlete or not, drunk or not, male or female, repeatedly attempting to force yourself on to another person is never okay. After reading the extra details from the police report, it seems pretty apparent that the victim did make several attempts to get him to leave her alone-the fact that he followed her back to her room, seemingly uninvited is in itself a red flag. It deeply saddens and sickens me to see people calling the victim a liar; sexual assault is a vastly under-reported crime, partly because of the stigma and fear of reactions like these. I don’t know him personally, nor was I present at the time of the incident, so I will not go as far as some and call him a predator, but I can say that he IS at fault here. As a new alum who heard stories last year of some of Trivino’s drunken escapades within StuVi (though I am not in a position to confirm whether or not they are all true), and given his history of alcohol-related problems on the team, I feel it’s a shame that he didn’t get the help he needed to address his problems with drinking before this happened. He is most certainly a very talented hockey player (speaking as a BU hockey fan, it will certainly be a big loss for the team), but his positive worth and talent as an athlete and degree of culpability are not mutually exclusive.

    1. “It deeply saddens and sickens me to see people calling the victim a liar.”

      To be fair, none of the commenters called the victim a liar. Many simply wanted to hear both sides of the story before condemning Trivino’s actions because this certain BU Today article gave little details into the incident. I am not in any way justifying his actions, but I do think wanting to have all of the information and facts before passing judgment on the situation is completely fair. Skepticism and inquiry are not the same as calling somebody a liar.

  26. Whether he’s innocent or guilty of the charges is for the court to decide, but the point is that it wasn’t his first time getting in trouble. BU is a private institution and Parker can kick whoever he wants off the team as he sees fit, he and the school can play by whatever set of rules they wish. Don’t feel bad for Trivino though -as a draft pick of the Islanders, he can sign with them at any time and would likely be sent to their AHL affiliate. Plenty of college players who have gotten arrested and fallen out of favor with their schools have done the same thing. So his hockey career is certainly not over. A definite consequence of this situation for him, no matter what the court rules, is that he is off a team that he’s been connected to since his freshman year and won’t be able to compete for their ultimate goal of a national championship with his close friends. The hope surely is that he will learn from that consequence as he moves on to pursue his dreams and stay out of trouble in the future.

    1. adash 1411, this is not about hockey, as much as it is about someone allegedly assaulting somebody and being charge with a crime. his hockey career may continue but this incident will forever cast a dark shadow on BU student life.

      1. Yes, it is a bad experience for any who involves in this situation, but I don’t think it will “cast a dark shadow on BU student life forever”. Don’t make it too much.

    2. He won a national championship with BU in 2008 as a freshman.

      Assuming he doesn’t actually get any jail time for this (probably just a fine, probation, community service, and substance abuse treatment or something) he’ll find a spot somewhere in the Islanders’ system by January – he’s still one of their top prospects. He won’t have it any easier working his way up their depth charts though obviously.

  27. I think there is a lot more to this story that is not being said or better, swept under the rug. it is almost inconceivable to understand how this guy ended up with 3 charges of indecent assault and battery and not even spend a day in jail. Obviously the BU hockey team has a big problem and it needs to be addressed

  28. Do some research people.
    This boy has an alcohol problem. It was well known and there have been other incidents relating to alcohol abuse.
    He was actually told to enter rehab at one time.

    What he did will not stand up as rape. It will be reduced.
    But he has a lot to do if he wants to salvage his life. I hope another school wont just sign him up without him getting help for his problem.

    And most importantly I hope the young lady can get past this assault by a drunken lout.

    1. Just because a college student drinks to get drunk does not mean they have an alcohol problem. I know him personally, and he does not have an alcohol problem. He just does dumb things when he gets drunk, like every other college student. The only problem is, he is a public figure and should be behaving more appropriately, I agree. But suggesting an alcohol problem because he likes to drink on the weekends is ridiculous. That’s just part of society and college life.

      1. If he’s had numerous infractions for drinking before, he’s been asked to seek help for drinking, and his own coach says he has a drinking problem, I think it’s safe to say that he has an alcohol problem.

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