Education

UNC-CH coach's stance on campus sex assaults raises ire

The wrestling coach at UNC-Chapel Hill is receiving a lot of criticism for comments he made on social media, a blog and in the school newspaper after his son was accused of rape in Tennessee.

Posted Updated

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The wrestling coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is receiving a lot of criticism for comments he made on social media, a blog and in the school newspaper after his son was accused of rape in Tennessee.

C.D. Mock says universities treat students accused of sexual assault, including his son, unfairly, and he wants to raise awareness of how campus assaults are handled.

"This is a nightmare. This is an incredibly unfair situation," Mock said.

His son, Corey Mock, is a nationally ranked wrestler. A former UNC-Chapel Hill student, he was a star athlete at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga until the senior was accused of rape last March and was expelled in December.

"Our case is a classic he said, she said case," C.D. Mock said. "You don't kick someone out of school or punish somebody because he said, she said."

He started a blog to share his frustration with the handling of sexual assault cases on college campuses. Guilt or innocence is left up to the university, not the criminal justice system, he complains.

The blog also names the alleged victim in his son's case and includes graphic details of the sexual encounter involving her.

"The idea that a woman who is intoxicated has no control is ridiculous," one post states. "Hate to break it to you feminists out there, but the whole idea on college campus today is to drink alcohol in social environments to reduce inhibitions."

Alice Wilder, a columnist for The Daily Tar Heel newspaper at UNC-Chapel Hill, said she learned about the blog after reading a fiery letter to the editor that C.D. Mock wrote in defense of his son.

"The message seemed to be that women were responsible for preventing their own rape, instead of saying that people shouldn't assault other people," Wilder said. "I was really surprised that someone that is employed here is that cavalier about it."

UNC-Chapel Hill officials said in a statement that C.D. Mock "is expressing his views as an individual and not in any official capacity on behalf of the University."

The university last year adopted new policies regarding how it handles sex assault cases and is now requiring all students, faculty and staff to undergo online training about sexual violence and harassment.

C.D. Mock also has lashed out on Twitter. In response to a tweet that called his son a rapist, he wrote, "You are likely another woman who wants to be able to go party and have zero accountability."

He apologized for the post Tuesday. "I absolutely reacted, and it was a mistake," he said.

Still, he said he plans to continue to fight for his son and won't let anyone pin him down.

The family petitioned a state court in Tennessee to allow Corey Mock to attend school during the appeal process, and he was allowed to return to class on Tuesday.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.