BC Football Player Guilty in Wiretap Charge

By Bob Hohler
Boston Globe
December 12, 2012

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/12/12/player-admits-secret-audiotaping/k1sK8SdPTVDnBKZUz1DYhM/story.html

A Boston College football player Tuesday admitted to facts sufficient for a finding of guilty on a wiretap charge that he illegally audiotaped a female student having consensual sex with his teammate in a campus suite the players shared.

In a plea agreement, the case against Jaryd Rudolph, a 6-foot-4-inch, 295-pound junior defensive lineman from Plympton, was continued without a finding until March 12 on the condition he perform 20 hours of community service and have no contact with the victim.

Rudolph was advised in Brighton District Court that if he fails to abide by those conditions or offends again in any way, his case could be put back on track for a trial.

Rudolph, 20, a former star at Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, admitted using his phone Feb. 15 to audiotape the sexual encounter. He allegedly forwarded the recording to his roommate, who admitted sending it to at least one other teammate, according to BC police.

The woman alleged she has since been ridiculed on campus, particulalry by numerous BC athletes, some of whom have directed profanities at her. Her lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, said the woman, a graduate student, has suffered emotional trauma and is undergoing counseling.

She submitted a victim impact statement to the court. “This is a small step in the healing process for her,’’ Garabedian said.

He indicated the woman plans to sue Rudolph for intentional infliction of emotional distress and privacy violations. She also is expected to sue BC for negligent supervision of a student.

“This case clearly points out the need for supervision of student athletes,’’ Garabedian said. “This is an extremely traumatic event for my client that has taken on a life of its own.’’

The Globe, in contacting BC to seek comment from the athletic department, the administration, and Rudolph, informed school officials the woman is planning a lawsuit.

“Boston College has not been notified of any claim and does not believe there is any basis for a suit against the university,’’ associate athletic director Chris Camerson said in a statement.

After Tuesday’s court proceedings, Rudolph’s lawyer, Timothy M. Burke, said, “I think it’s in the best interests of everyone to put this behind them.’’

BC placed Rudolph on probation because of the incident and ordered him to take numerous steps, including counseling, to regain his standing on campus.

But he never missed a football game because of the disciplinary action. He started five games, played in seven, and was credited with 16 tackles.

Prosecutors reached the agreement after relying on the investigation by BC police, as well as technical assistance from the state attorney general’s office in recovering the audio recording from Rudolph’s encrypted iPhone and text messages about the recording that were deleted from a witness’s BlackBerry, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.



Contact: hohler@globe.com