Rape charge brings calls for oversight

BOSTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Advocates are calling for stricter oversight of college sports programs after the arrest of a Boston University hockey player on two counts of rape.

Max Nicastro was arrested Sunday for the alleged rape of a female student, arraigned and released on $10,000 bail. He was removed from the hockey team, and University Dean of Students Kenn Elmore said that Nicastro is "currently not enrolled in the university," but did not indicate whether he had been suspended.

He is the second member of the Boston University team arrested on sexual assault charges this season.

Saying student-athlete gambling and drug use are punished and controlled "but there's no oversight for sexual assaults or violence against women," Katherine Raymond, founder of the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes, praised the University for its swift action against Nicastro, as did Wendy Murphy, professor at the New England College of Law, the Boston Herald reported Wednesday.

"The NCAA lets these schools police themselves. They're more concerned with the athletes drinking beer or eating fatty foods than raping women," Murphy said.

Nicastro pleaded not guilty, and Suffolk County Municipal Judge Franco Gobourne impounded all reports in the case, citing the alleged victim's confidentiality.