Sexual Assault in Sport: Mason Greenwood and Jerry Harris

An English professional footballer for Manchester United and the England national team, Mason Greenwood, was recently accused and arrested for rape and sexual assault; at the same time, there is an ongoing investigation going on for Jerry Harris, who has been charged with production of child pornography. We are just as shocked as you are hearing of these accusations and charges, but it goes on to show that you can never really know anyone and what they are capable of – read on for more information for each case.

Mason Greenwood

On the 30th of January 2022, videos, photos and audio recording were posted on a woman’s Instagram account before being deleted. The series of posts included images and videos of apparent injuries on the woman, as well as an audio recording between her and a man assumed to be Mason Greenwood due to the woman calling his name “Mason” in the recording. During this disturbing audio clip, we can hear the woman saying, “I don’t want to have sex,” to which the male voice replies saying he does not care; when told to stop again by the woman, the male voice said, “I asked you politely, and you wouldn’t do it, so what else do you want me to do?” Later on, he also says, “Push me again one more time and watch what happens to you.”

The Greater Manchester Police said that they had been made aware of these images and videos “circulating on social media” and confirmed that a “man in his 20s has since been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault”. The police further announced that Mason Greenwood would continue to remain in custody for further questioning.

Manchester United stated that Mason Greenwood, who played as the forward, would not return for any training or matches “until further notice”; the club added that they “do not condone violence of any kind” and would not make any further comment until “facts have been established”. Mason Greenwood himself has not responded to any of the accusations.

Detectives were sighted visiting close neighbours of the footballer, who have previously complained about his lockdown parties “while he was sent home in disgrace by England manager Gareth Southgate after he and Phil Foden invited two women back to the team hotel after their senior debut against Iceland in 2020”. Mason Greenwood apologised after this incident and mentioned how being in the team was a proud moment for him, though unfortunately it seems that he continued to concern Manchester United over his “ego”.

The football player who we all thought had so much potential and would rise as a global player, having made his senior international debut in 2020 against Iceland, is on serious suspicion of raping and assaulting the woman who had posted on Instagram. The aforementioned pictures and videos have been circulating the internet since they were posted and many teammates, football players and other well-known public figures have unfollowed Mason Greenwood on social media.

Jerry Harris

Netflix’s documentary ‘Cheer’ came back for a second season this year and wasted no time in addressing the September 2020 incident with one of their stars Jerry Harris, who was arrested and charged with child pornography offences. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently awaiting trial after bail being denied.

When the documentary came out with its first season, Jerry Harris was arguably the “show’s biggest breakout star due to his positive attitude and words of encouragement to his fellow cheerleaders”. However, 14-year-old twins names Sam and Charlie, with the help of their mother, came forward to report Jerry Harris soliciting sexual pictures through the social media app called Snapchat. They claim that he was aware of their age, which was 13 at the time of the encounter, and they have also shared screenshots to share when reporting this to the police.

According to the interview by Kwiatkowski and visuals editor Sandy Hooper from USA TODAY with Sam, Charlie and their mother Kristen, “they had text messages they said were from Jerry Harris requesting nude photos or sex. Charlie told our journalists his interactions with Harris left him struggling with anxiety. He lost sleep, his grades suffered and he cried at school.”

Charlie told them, “It was just eating me alive. It was just making me so gross and uncomfortable. Every time I saw his name or something like that, I was just cringing about it.”

Kristen, the boys’ mother, said she filed two reports with USASF, “She said her first report — sent May 15 — got a brief response from USASF Vice President of Membership Amy Clark. She said she did not hear from Clark again until she filed a second report on July 9. Clark set up a call with Kristen for the next day. During that call, Clark indicated the organization was opening an investigation… The allegations were also reported to Varsity Brands, a private company involved in cheerleading. Harris is accused of asking one of the brothers to have sex with him in 2019 at two Varsity cheerleading competitions… The reporters said Kristen grew frustrated by the lack of action. Harris was still involved in cheer, and his fame was near its peak. At the beginning of August, she contacted the FBI… On Sept. 13, the FBI raided Harris’ home looking for evidence. The same day… USASF suspended Harris from participation in All Star activities.”

Being accused of soliciting sexually explicit photos and sex from minors is huge, but to make it bigger, Jerry Harris himself admitted that there have been a total of five to 10 victims. One of them including sexually assaulting a 15-year-old while at a cheerleading event, despite the public event; it is said that he may be using his popularity for “manipulating” uses.

It seems that many of these accusations were not able to come forward due to lack of seriousness on the matter, which is why once Jerry Harris was at the peak of his popularity from ‘Cheer’, the twin’s mother decided to do whatever she could to make the star responsible for his actions.

The charges for Jerry Harris include: four counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography, one count of traveling with the attempt to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, and one count of enticement.

According to the UK Government website, “Vetting helps employers and employees identify, manage and mitigate risks for roles where national security concerns are a consideration, like jobs with access to high risk sites, highly classified information or systems. Vetting establishes trust between employers and employees, sometimes through confidential conversations. It is the start of an ongoing dialogue about managing risks, which lasts for as long as a person holds a security clearance.”

This and more is the key to upholding as much safety as possible between people. It makes sense that prospective employees have to go through a DBS check when applying to work for a care home, nursery, school and other similar environments. However, a DBS check may need to be considered by most if not all companies and businesses in order to uphold a safe environment for everyone.

If you are based in the UK, this is what the NHS advises to go for help if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted – remember you are not alone!

• a doctor or practice nurse at your GP surgery
• a voluntary organisation, such as Women’s Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Survivors UK (for male victims of sexual assault)
• the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247
• the Rape Crisis national freephone helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12 to 2.30pm and 7 to 9.30pm every day of the year)
• a hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department
• a genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual health clinic
• a contraceptive clinic
• a young people’s service
• NHS 111
• the police, or dial 101
• in an emergency, dial 999

If you are in the US, then follows the link HERE to go to RAINN and find the hotline number to call for advice, help, and other services available.