(Newser)
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Two 18-year-old high school football players in Connecticut stand accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, in a case that has disturbing echoes of Steubenville. Edgar Gonzalez and Joan Toribio are each charged with sexual assault and two other felonies; the investigation into both cases began Feb. 10, but it's not clear if they're connected. Gonzalez is being held at a correction center; Toribio is out on bond. The details are vague, but the Register Citizen reports that the victim is being shamed by dozens of students on social media.
She's been called a "whore" and a "hoe" and accused of "snitching" and ruining the lives of the athletes. Wrote one user, "Even if it was all his fault, what was a 13 year old girl doing hanging around 18 year old guys..." Some of the posts rounded up by the Register Citizen get worse from there. The newspaper takes a longer look at other problems the Torrington High School football team has seen, including a hazing scandal last fall that saw four students suspended. And Gonzalez was charged in an alleged felony robbery last year, accused of jumping three 14-year-olds, but he was allowed to continue playing on the team.
