The legendary pro-boxer Mike Tyson was convicted back in 1992 for raping 18-year beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington. He went to jail from 1992-1995 but Tyson has long contended he was wrongfully accused and convicted.
Bill Maher backs Mike Tyson
On the latest episode of Club Random with Bill Maher, the podcast host brought up the subject in the third segment.
“I never thought you committed that crime,” he spokes about the matter at the 37-minute mark.
“Hey. listen, I appreciate that,” Tyson replies.
Maher: “Not that it’s important…”
Tyson: “No, it is…”
Maher then stated that he doesn’t believe it to be rape and he believes that it was consensual of what happened that night. He said:
“Back in the day, I’d always say: I don’t think that was rape, I think what Mike did was have sex with someone consensually and then wasn’t nice enough after. Then someone gets angry. Maybe you’re guilty of that.”
Tyson then responded by saying:
“No, but listen. I’m guilty because of things I’ve done and got away with before that was grimy. That’s what happened. That was just a wake-up call. There’s things I did do that was bad to women, disrespectful that I got away with. And this is one it showed…” Maher talks over Tyson at this important point.
Tyson then added by saying: “It was the best thing that happened to me. It was a great learning experience.”
In Tyson’s mind, he was found guilty because of his reputation, not his actions on July 21, 1991 in Indianapolis when he invited the teenager to his room in the middle of the night.
