Terry Crews has spoken out about how he chose not to be a part of The Expendables 4 after a producer asked him to drop the case against Adam Venit.
49-year-old Crews discussed his alleged sexual assault by Hollywood agent Venit on Tuesday, championing the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
While testifying about the alleged assault, Crews did not mention his alleged attacker’s name.
However, he has previously said it was Venit who allegedly touched his genitals at a party back in February 2016. Venit has denied these accusations.
According to Time, Crews gave the following account of the alleged assault as he stood before the Senate:
The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power, that he was in control.
Crews went on to explain how he had dropped out of The Expendables franchise because a producer requested he drop the case against Venit:
I’ve done three movies called The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone.
The producer of that film called my manager and asked him to drop my case in order for me to be in the fourth instalment of the movie, and if I didn’t there would be trouble.
Crews has previously alleged how producer Avi Lerner had contacted his management and said they could ‘avoid problems’ if the case was dropped, writing the following tweet back in February 2018:
Management got a call last week from Avi Lerner producer of EXPENDABLES 4 saying I could avoid any “problems” on the sequel if I dropped my case against @WME.
Guess who’s Sly’s agent?
ADAM VENIT
Speaking before the Senate, Crews spoke of his decision to share the story of the reported assault:
I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay,
But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world.
That I know how hard it is to come forward. I know the shame associated with the assault.
He continued:
I wanted these survivors to know that I believed them, I supported them, and that this happened to me too.
Crews proceeded to detail how the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights would help survivors of sexual assault:
This bill gives survivors the right to have time to distance themselves from the immediate trauma before making the difficult decision to report the assault to law enforcement.
This bill would work to protect survivors sexual assault in various ways, including preserving rape kits and subsidising examinations throughout the USA.
Keep fighting the good fight Terry.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). They also offer a victim support line on 0808 168 9111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.