Jeff Benedict
Renowned Author & Journalist
In the glamorous world of professional and collegiate athletics, the players who perform such amazing feats on the field or the court are often held to a different standard than the average citizen. This is the basis for Jeff Benedict’s study into the dark underside of the sports world, holding a magnifying glass to the criminal activities of the players and the culture which all too often turns a blind eye towards them.
Benedict published his first book, Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women, during his first year of law school in 1997. By the time he earned his law degree in 2000, he had published two more books on the subject: Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL and Athletes and Acquaintance Rape.
On the heels of Kobe Bryant’s arrest on rape charges in Colorado, Benedict published Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA’s Culture of Rape, Violence & Crime, which was the basis of a two-part special on ABC News 20/20 also titled ‘Out of Bounds.’ During pre-trial proceedings in the Kobe Bryant case, Benedict got access to sealed court documents and medical records that became the basis of three stories he wrote about the case for Sports Illustrated. After Bryant’s case was dismissed, Benedict wrote a short series on Bryant for the Los Angeles Times, including an award-winning feature story that revealed why the case against Bryant fell apart.
His books on athletes and crime established him as the national expert on the subject. Plus, he was the lead researcher on two groundbreaking studies conducted at Northeastern University – one on student-athletes and violence against women and one on arrest and conviction rates for athletes. In addition to being a regular analyst on network and cable news programs, Benedict served as an expert witness on behalf of rape and domestic violence victims; consulted for law firms representing victims of violence committed by athletes; and frequently appeared as a keynote speaker for women’s groups, victim advocacy organizations and law enforcement conferences.
At the podium, Benedict discusses the conditions of the sports culture in which the athletes live, which cannot only lead to violent and criminal activity, but also can insulate them from the consequences to which an ordinary citizen would be subjected. Offering full disclosure for his research methods, Benedict explains how this environment operates, and how those both inside and outside can correct it.
In 2009, Benedict released Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage. He spent three years chronicling the eminent domain battle in Kelo v. New London, considered the most controversial Supreme Court decision since Roe v. Wade. Following the book’s release, Benedict spent a year traveling the country with plaintiff Susette Kelo, talking to Americans about property rights. Lifetime Television has acquired the filming rights to Little Pink House with plans for Brooke Shields to star and serve as executive producer.
In his May 2011 release, Poisoned, Benedict explores the legal chain of events following the e-coli outbreak at the Jack In The Box restaurant chain. This tragedy claimed the lives of four children and harmed many others. Benedict delivers a jarringly candid narrative of the fast-moving disaster drawing on access to key documents and exclusive interviews with the real-life characters at the center of the drama.
Interested in booking Jeff Benedict to speak at your next event?
Benedict published his first book, Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women, during his first year of law school in 1997. By the time he earned his law degree in 2000, he had published two more books on the subject: Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL and Athletes and Acquaintance Rape.
On the heels of Kobe Bryant’s arrest on rape charges in Colorado, Benedict published Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA’s Culture of Rape, Violence & Crime, which was the basis of a two-part special on ABC News 20/20 also titled ‘Out of Bounds.’ During pre-trial proceedings in the Kobe Bryant case, Benedict got access to sealed court documents and medical records that became the basis of three stories he wrote about the case for Sports Illustrated. After Bryant’s case was dismissed, Benedict wrote a short series on Bryant for the Los Angeles Times, including an award-winning feature story that revealed why the case against Bryant fell apart.
His books on athletes and crime established him as the national expert on the subject. Plus, he was the lead researcher on two groundbreaking studies conducted at Northeastern University – one on student-athletes and violence against women and one on arrest and conviction rates for athletes. In addition to being a regular analyst on network and cable news programs, Benedict served as an expert witness on behalf of rape and domestic violence victims; consulted for law firms representing victims of violence committed by athletes; and frequently appeared as a keynote speaker for women’s groups, victim advocacy organizations and law enforcement conferences.
At the podium, Benedict discusses the conditions of the sports culture in which the athletes live, which cannot only lead to violent and criminal activity, but also can insulate them from the consequences to which an ordinary citizen would be subjected. Offering full disclosure for his research methods, Benedict explains how this environment operates, and how those both inside and outside can correct it.
In 2009, Benedict released Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage. He spent three years chronicling the eminent domain battle in Kelo v. New London, considered the most controversial Supreme Court decision since Roe v. Wade. Following the book’s release, Benedict spent a year traveling the country with plaintiff Susette Kelo, talking to Americans about property rights. Lifetime Television has acquired the filming rights to Little Pink House with plans for Brooke Shields to star and serve as executive producer.
In his May 2011 release, Poisoned, Benedict explores the legal chain of events following the e-coli outbreak at the Jack In The Box restaurant chain. This tragedy claimed the lives of four children and harmed many others. Benedict delivers a jarringly candid narrative of the fast-moving disaster drawing on access to key documents and exclusive interviews with the real-life characters at the center of the drama.
Interested in booking Jeff Benedict to speak at your next event?
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