Well, where to begin. I remember years ago, when Vanderbilt (of all places) was having disciplinary problems with a black athlete, the concern in the Nashville press was that it would "hurt recruiting."
This becomes the primary concern at a school that is athletically ambitious, whether "it will hurt recruiting." That's what happened here. A poster boy can't be severely punished even though he was found guilty on TWO counts. The second was disobeying a direct order (which was to stay away from the accuser), which used to be a serious offense in military terms.
Note the actions of the five-officer jury who hastily recommended "no punishment." From the Baltimore Sun: "A member of the jury asked Owens what he learned from the experience. Owens said he learned to be more careful when making decisions, and that the most important trait for an officer is respect, both given and received." Can you believe that? Owens will be "more careful" next time. Five Naval officers with the same attitude as the O.J. Simpson jury. On second thought, we can believe that from today's military.