Young People Need To Stop Putting Themselves In Compromising Situations And Filming Sex: HOOKSTEAD

It's time for young people to stop pulling the phones out every time the clothes come off.

There appears to be an epidemic of young people making incredibly foolish and stupid decisions surrounding sex and graphic content that, while perhaps legal, have led to embarrassing and unfortunate outcomes.

Two things can be pinpointed as the root cause of this issue:

Sex with people they don't know and cell phones.

There are countless examples over the past couple decades, but in the past year alone there have been three significant issues that serve as great examples. The Matt Araiza false rape accusation, sexually graphic content leaking of the Wisconsin volleyball team and the current sex tape scandal unfolding at Auburn.

Matt Araiza might not have committed a crime, but he is guilty of being an idiot.

Generally speaking, having sex with people you don't know isn't really ever a good idea. There's STD risks and you simply don't know who you're getting involved with.

There is no better example than the rape allegation surrounding the former Buffalo Bills punter. Araiza was released by the Bills after an unnamed woman accused him of participating in a gang rape.

The authorities determined Araiza wasn't present at the time of the group sex, which police do not believe was gang rape, but he doesn't deny having sex with the girl, who was 17 at the time. There are conflicting narratives about whether or not the girl claimed she was 18. During an interview with Tomi Lahren, Araiza made it clear he's not being charged for statutory rape because in California, you can't be charged if you had good reason to believe the other person was 18. Araiza told Lahren the unnamed woman clearly stated to him she was 18 and said it on video.

Clearly, the police believe that's the case because he's not been charged.

Araiza holds some responsibility for losing his NFL job.

However, he would still be in the NFL if he'd made one very simple decision: Don't have sex with a girl you met minutes earlier.

If Matt Araiza hadn't touched the unnamed accuser at all, there's a high probability he never gets dragged into a situation that has turned into mudslinging and pure chaos.

That's not what happened. Matt Araiza made the incredibly stupid and foolish decision to have sex with a girl, who turned out to be a minor. Again, he's innocent of crime, but he's not innocent of being a moron.

Matt Araiza was cleared by police after being accused of rape. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

Some of the best advice I ever received was the best way to avoid trouble is to not put yourself in situations where trouble is often found. Having sex with a person you don't know shortly after meeting them in a house party setting is a recipe for disaster. Even if it goes correctly 99/100 times, what happens the one time it doesn't?

What happens if the other person involved - male or female - tells a different version of events? Your career and life could be over. Araiza successfully avoided being charged, but it's still unclear if he'll ever play in the NFL again. This all could have been avoided if he'd simply exercised some common sense.

Put the damn phones down when it comes to sex.

That leads me to the second point, which might even be more important. In all three cases - Araiza and the house party, Wisconsin volleyball and Auburn football - phones were involved.

Is it possible in 2023 to be under the age of 30 and have a sexual encounter that's not filmed? Here's a newsflash for everyone reading this attempting to live out a porn fantasy, you have no upside and all downside when you make such a decision, especially with someone you don't know.

You're not Kendra Lust, Lisa Ann or any other major porn figure. It's insane this even needs to be said, but here we are.

The Wisconsin volleyball team took sexually graphic photos and videos featuring multiple members of the team that were then shared and ultimately leaked. What was the upside? There wasn't one. The downside is clear. The women were victims of a leak that will now be out there forever. To be clear, that's not their fault, but reality can't be ignored. Two people can keep a secret. Once three or more know, it's now information to be shared and you can bet it will be.

In the Araiza house party situation, a pair of other men involved filmed their sexual encounter with the 17-year-old child. Again, there are disputes about whether or not her age was known, but here's what's not up for dispute.

The two men wouldn't have filmed a minor engaged in sexual activity if they'd not been dumb enough to whip a phone out.

Auburn is another shining example of this stupidity in action.

Multiple Auburn students are currently suspended after a sexual graphic video of running back Jarquez Hunter surfaced and was allegedly disseminated. The videos surfaced on social media and the situation exploded like a bomb.

The names of the suspended haven't been revealed, and it's unclear if the people in the video were aware they were being filmed. If they weren't, it's likely a clear crime. However, even if they were, they put themselves in a risky and compromising situation.

Again, just to make sure nobody tries to twist my argument, I'm not saying filming sexual encounters is illegal. However, something not being illegal doesn't make it smart.

Stop and think before doing something potentially life-changing.

It's crazy to me that this conversation is even necessary, but it is at this point. When young people, especially those with a future to lose, find themselves in potentially compromising situations, they need to stop and ask themselves two questions.

Is this potential sexual encounter a really good idea or am I letting my hormones do the thinking? Next, ask yourself if it needs to be filmed. The answer to the first one is likely a case-by-case situation. The answer to the second one is almost always no.

Now, if you're married or in a long term relationship, and you want to film a sex tape, that's for you to decide. However, that's a hell of a lot different than filming a sexual encounter with a woman you met five minutes ago.

I, just like many people reading this, was once young and in college. I'm very aware of how campus life works, especially if you have money or notoriety. This might be news to many of you, but it's not hard to pick up sexual partners if you have deep pockets or are a college athlete.

However, being able to do it and actually doing it are two different things. Are you willing to trade an hour of pleasure for a headache that lasts weeks, months, or even years?

Quintez Cephus is an all-time example of bad decision making and sex.

Allow me to throw a fourth example in that ties a lot of this together and hits close to home. Quintez Cephus was a top player on Wisconsin's football team back in the day. He was a dominant receiver, but was charged with sexual assault after a sexual encounter with women he barely knew or didn't know at all.

Cephus was later acquitted following jury deliberations that lasted shorter than the time it takes to cook a pizza, but his teammate Danny Davis came under fire after taking a photo of the sexual encounter.

Again, phones and sex with people you don't know. Cephus missed a year of college football, had to fight a false rape allegation and found himself embroiled in chaos even after being cleared.

Make no mistake about it, Quintez Cephus was the victim of a smear job, but he also could have chosen to not engage in risky and foolish behavior. Was the sexual encounter worth the headache that followed? No, it damn sure wasn't, but unfortunately, young people don't seem to think about long term consequences. It's all about the immediate moment, sex and cell phones.

Quintez Cephus successfully defended himself in a rape case. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

Do yourself a favor next time you find yourself in a potentially risky situation. Put one foot in front of the other and walk away. It might not be fun in the moment, but you'll thank yourself down the road. If the examples listed above don't make that clear, I really don't know what to tell you. It's time for some serious growing up and a lot less stupidity.