Serena Apologizes to Ohio Rape Victim

Serena Williams has reached out to the family of the victim in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case after the tennis star was quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article saying ”she shouldn’t have put herself in that position.” Serena spoke to the victim, her mother and a family lawyer for about 30 minutes, the lawyer said.

”Serena was very nice, very sincere and it was a very well-received conversation among two women and a young lady,” attorney Bob Fitzsimmons said.

Williams said in a statement released through her agent and posted to her website Wednesday. "What was written — what I supposedly said — is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."

The comment was made by Serena in one paragraph of a story posted online Tuesday about Williams, "Serena Williams: The Great One." Two players from the Steubenville, Ohio, high school football team were convicted in March of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl. One of the boys was ordered to serve an additional year for photographing the girl naked. The case gained widespread attention due to the fact that fellow students used social media outlets to depict the incident as it was taking place.

The victim’s family welcomed Serena’s apology in its own statement, saying it was ”proud of her” for the updated remarks.

”We are sure Serena has and will continue to use her God-given talents to advance women’s equality and send the message that rape is never acceptable under any circumstance,” according to the statement released by Fitzsimmons. ”We are fans of Serena and will continue rooting for many more championships but more importantly watching her advance the cause of rape victims who are never to blame.”

According to the Rolling Stone story, Serena says the perpetrators of the crime ”did something stupid,” and she asks: ”Do you think it was fair, what they got?” She adds, ”I’m not blaming the girl, but if you’re a 16-year-old and you’re drunk like that, your parents should teach you: Don’t take drinks from other people.” Serena is also quoted as saying: ”… she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”

Serena is seeded number one at next week’s 2013 Wimbledon.