Dori: Hoquiam School District needs to get tough on football player charged with rape

The father of a Hoquiam High School football player charged with rape has reportedly pulled his son off the team.

KIRO TV reports Tyler Smith, 18, was charged with two counts of rape earlier this month and has played in two games since then.

“The school district knew about this kid’s rape charges, but they allowed him to play anyway,” Dori said.

Smith is accused of forcing himself on a 15-year-old girl while they were on a date in July. Another 16-year-old girl came forward and claimed Smith forced himself on her in a bathroom at a party in Dec. 2012, KIRO TV reports. According to charging documents, the victims repeatedly told Smith “no.”

Smith’s trial is set for December, according to KIRO TV. He is allowed to attend school and the district released the following statement:

The allegations involving a Hoquiam High School student/athlete are both disgusting and disturbing. These alleged actions are in no way reflective of the outstanding students we have attending Hoquiam Schools.

First and most importantly, the district extends its support for the alleged victims who we understand are not students in the high school. In consultation with legal counsel, the district will follow a legal path that we trust will lead to justice for all parties. The player and his parents did remove himself from the team late yesterday afternoon.

Mike Parker
Superintendent

“Let me tell you about an athlete code of conduct that most high schools have,” Dori said. “I tell my girls that I coach this all the time. It’s not if you drink alcohol or use drugs yourself, you can be suspended. The code of conduct is if you are in the presence of alcohol or drugs…

“So you’re telling me, superintendent, that a high school athlete can be suspended for being in the presence of alcohol, not having a drink themselves, being in the presence of weed, not smoking it themselves, we can suspend an athlete for that? But you’re trying to tell me, superintendent, that you cannot suspend one of your high school football players who has been arrested and charged with two counts of rape? This is absolutely nonsense.”