The sexual assault case that involves Terry Crews and Hollywood agent Adam Venit has made its way to Capitol Hill. The troubling even took place in 2016 when Adam approached Terry at a Hollywood function and groped his genitals unwillingly. In that moment Terry froze as his wife watched the incident. While Terry testified in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today, he was asked why he did not physically respond to Adam's inappropriate move and his answer was impactful, to say the least.
“The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he was holding my genitals in his hand was that he held the power, that he was in control,” he said, adding how he wanted to act violently but the consequences that Black men face if they resort to violence stopped him. “As a black man in America you only have a few shots at success, you only have a few chances to make yourself a viable member of the community."
Terry further explained how he was told over and over to drop the case, how friends tried to tell him it was just a joke but he now "knows the shame associated with assault." The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor even explained how he denied a role in Expendables 4 because he pressured by the producer to drop the case.
“It was a project I had to turn down,” he said. “Abusers protect abusers and this is one thing I had to decide whether I was going to draw the line.”
Watch a clip of his speech below.