Las Vegas Aces guard Justine Pissott expressed her solidarity with the student who filed allegations against seven Cornell University fraternity members for sexual assault, while simultaneously disclosing that she herself had experienced sexual assault.
Pissott shared an extensive series of statements through her Instagram Story, demonstrating support for the unnamed plaintiff pursuing legal action against Cornell University and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity, who face accusations of administering drugs and committing gang rape in 2024.
Justine Pissott comes out in support of Cornell ‘rape’ survivor
The first-year WNBA athlete, who previously competed in collegiate basketball at Tennessee and Vanderbilt, said that she was composing a “vulnerable message but something that I want to share.”
“As someone who has been drugged and rap**, the Cornell 7 situation has been really hard for me to see. It hits a place in me that I don’t talk about often,” Pissott said.
“When something like this happens to you, it doesn’t just end when that night ends. You carry it with you. The confusion, the pieces you can’t remember, questioning yourself, blaming yourself, and trying to understand how someone could take advantage of you when you weren’t even able to protect yourself.
Justine Pissott opens up about her own trauma
“And then you see people questioning survivors. Asking why they didn’t speak sooner, why they stayed quiet, why they acted a certain way afterward. But unless you’ve been through it, you really don’t understand what trauma can do to a person. There is no “right” way to respond to something that never should’ve happened to you in the first place.”
Pissott, who hails from Toms River, New Jersey, declined to offer additional information regarding the alleged incident or its timing.
The latter portion of Pissott’s statement concentrated on the present circumstances surrounding the grave allegations brought forth by the former Ivy League student, which have prompted Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to reopen the investigation for grand jury examination.
‘I know how lonely this kind of pain can feel,’ says Pissott
“My heart truly hurts for the survivor in the Cornell 7 situation,” Pissott said. “I pray God covers her through all of this. I pray He protects her mind and her heart while something so painful and personal is being discussed by people who don’t even know her. I pray He gives her strength on the days where it feels like too much and reminds her that what was done to her will never define who she is. I don’t speak about my experience for sympathy. I speak about it because I know how lonely this kind of pain can feel. And if sharing even a small part of my story makes another survivor feel less alone, then it’s worth it.
“To her and every survivor carrying something similar, I see you. I’m praying for you. And I pray we continue creating a world where survivors feel safe enough to use their voice without being torn apart for how they survived.”
Cornell University ‘rape’ case update
The management of this troubling matter has generated considerable public outrage directed at Cornell and Houten, who has justified the original determination to refrain from conducting additional inquiries into the claims following the complainant’s initial report to Cornell Police in 2024 subsequent to the alleged sexual assault.
Cornell University has defended its preliminary response to the allegations and refuted claims that no disciplinary action had been taken. The institution clarified that certain fraternity members had been suspended and removed from the university following a thorough investigation conducted by an internal disciplinary committee.