""I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,‘’ Prout told Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview that aired on TODAY Tuesday…
Prout says the criminal trial, which made national headlines, could have been avoided.
"We had been prepared to just receive an apology letter,‘’ she said. “We had been prepared to finish this and just move forward with our lives and let them move forward with their lives, but, you know what, in the pursuit of justice I would’ve done anything.”
Prout took the stand and testified for three days during the trial.
"It was something that was necessary,‘’ she said. "Although it was scary and although it was pretty difficult…I wouldn’t be where I am today without having been able to speak up for myself during that time,‘’ she said. "
^^This. The optics of a reasonable family that had loved St. Paul’s and wanted to “be worked with” to put the attack behind them and improve the school culture are going to be pretty hard for St. Paul’s to shake. It was better for SPS when anyone reading about the case thought the girl and her family were fringe lunatics who were coming apart at the seams.
The mental image is now complete and Labrie and SPS are not lookin’ so hot right now.
I think any college would be lucky to have her. I hope her work with the nonprofit is both fulfilling for her and successful in its mission.
That was a very good interview. She looks so very, very young. I can’t imagine how young she was 2 years ago. What a horrible predator Labrie was. St. Paul’s doesn’t stand a chance.
What an incredibly strong young woman! I was moved to tears by the ending where she talked about her younger sister’s attempts to comfort her during the panic attacks. You could see how important her family’s support through this whole ordeal was even as her Mom held her hand during the interview.
I agree with everyone else that she is a great girl from a great family. Hopefully they can reach some measure of peace after these events.
My H and I watched the NBC interview this morning. His comment was that if Chessy was our daughter, Owen Labrie would be chum and he didn’t mean a pal!
She is not only a strikingly beautiful young lady, she is self-possessed and well spoken. I was near tears when she spoke of hiding in her closet, beating at her thighs. I hope that as more time passes, she will gain a sense of safety in herself and find someone to share her life with who is worthy of her.
I agree that forcing her out in public badly backfired on the school. The boy looks like a sneaky weasel. She is a doll. We watched this interview with our oldest and youngest sons (26 and 17) and both of them were appalled that girls would be treated like that in a HS. My older son, who knows I am addicted to Real Housewives shows, said “Mom, money can’t buy you class!”
I thought her language was so endearing - when asked about the verdict, she mentioned something about Labrie being able to “pull the wool over people’s eyes.” An old-fashioned phrase that is in stark contrast to how the contents of his emails/texts - especially that grotesque “prose” he quoted about how much he hated women when he was turned down for a date.
I finally had the time to watch the interview and I thought she felt highly coached and said all the “buzz” statements. I question the “wisdom” of putting herself and her family out in the public as the face of a “victim” at her young age and wonder how much of it is connected to the family lawsuit against the school and her parents. She still has college, dating, relationships and career and marriage all ahead of her but now she has this public image on top of whatever she has been going through. It is what it is and my observations are just that, my casual observation and thoughts.
I see it less as “highly coached and said all the “buzz” statements” and more as a young victim who has been through extensive counseling to deal with and find ways to process and talk about her experience.
Your bias shows from your previous posts on this subject and your choice to put the word victim in quotation marks. A judge and jury did find the defendant guilt which means she is a victim (no quotation marks).
Her public image is a positive one in my book and one that will be helpful to many young people who deal with the stigma of being victims of sexual assault. None of this precludes her from successfully tackling all the momentous milestones she will encounter in life - college, relationships, career, marriage. If anything, IMO, she will be empowered and more successful because of her family love and support and her strength in handling all she has been through without hiding from it, although I am sure it won’t always be smooth sailing. If any college, potential suitor, or employer has an issue with it, good riddance I say. It’ll keep the jackasses away.
I came to see if anyone else had seen the Today interview. I don’t see that she came forward on her own terms. Her hand was about to be forced by the school’s sleazy attorneys. It backfired big time on the school. She seems so incredibly young I feel an 18 year old would have to have been a real pervert to see her as sexually attractive two years ago. I can’t imagine why the alumni haven’t canned the school’s top leaders. If nothing else the female faculty member who talked to the girl and learned there had been sex should be prosecuted for her failure as a mandated reporter.
I’m a momoftwoboys and I don’t make excuses for rape. I wonder what some parents are teaching boys at home.
