I, for one, am glad that this thread has continued and that there is now some decent collection here of information and background to the story. I wish more people would take time to drill down and find out more background for all of these difficult scenarios, both sides of the story or debate, before opinions are formed. Our country would be in a hell of a lot better spot if everyone researched the big issues we are facing instead of making quick decisions based on the blue or red popular opinion/political stance vs things like fact and future consequence.
Anyway, back to this particular issue...
It is a given and should be the case that we are particularly bothered by anything that harms children. So, my perspective today is certainly not without primary concern for the well-being of the young girl.
That said, we have a young man who has professed his innocence at every step, including consistently passing multiple lie detector tests and going through a lengthy process with a professional psychologist who reports back that the young man seems consistent and genuine in his claims of innocence. He has character support and belief of hundreds of family and friends, including family, many of whom are affected directly with ties to the girl as well. He has been a constant positive role model since, there are no other victims and the girl doesn't remember the incident. It has become clear fact that his guilty plea was only to avoid a potentially worse scenario for both him and the girl. Thus, the only "inconsistencies" in the story seem to have a very clear explanation defending his claims of innocence. On top of all this, the kid was a 15 y.o. home schooled in a strong Christian environment and by all accounts, a very good kid, not a street-smart heartless banger or a rebellious kid with emotional issues when this allegedly happened. The girl, by all accounts, is doing very well, fortunately. This, too, doesn't mesh with the typical outcome of someone who was sexually molested by a family member. They have both been through enough with this. If we can't find enough here to suggest that both should be free to carry on with their lives with whatever direction they choose without continued criticism and public backlash toward the young man, then it's a dam shame, IMO. And, I really don't have concern for whether that path for him is baseball or something else but he deserves the opportunity at this point.