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Human Trafficking In South Africa Ignored As Bronco Ryan Murphy Detained Over Prostitutes Obtained By Human Trafficking

By Jinger Jarrett
Published on: 05:17 PST, Feb 4, 2016

Denver Broncos practice safety Ryan Murphy was detained for prostitution over human trafficking and then returned to Denver after questioning. The sting he was involved in was part of a task force dealing with prostitution by human trafficking that took place at a Motel 6 in San Jose, California.

Yahoo Sports reported that the task force had been ramping up its efforts for months, and the sting was in preparation for the 50th Super Bowl in San Jose. Sergeant James Jensen of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office would only say that somehow Murphy was involved, but was released at the scene.

“He was in the area or somehow involved. We detained him and during our investigation we found he was not involved in any criminal activity and released him at the scene.”

As previously reported in Inquisitr, the human trafficking capital of the world is South Africa. Human trafficking recently came into the spotlight in South Africa in a sports related incident when several boys were told that they had received scholarships to a leading soccer academy. The scholarships were later determined to be a scam, and the boys were returned to their families.

One of the reasons that human trafficking is such a problem in South Africa is that all levels of society are involved in it, and children are often sold into the slave trade. Girls generally become part of the sex trade, while boys are sold for forced labor. Sadly, 99 percent of those who are sold never escape and end up stuck in a life of slavery.

In addition to Ryan Murphy being cited in the sting, his brother and several others were also cited and sent back to Denver, the home of the Denver Broncos. As the Super Bowl approaches, more and more attention is being paid to human trafficking, and several billboards appeared to warn the public about the problem. January is human trafficking awareness month. The U. S. State Department defined trafficking as follows.

“The act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.”

Although there is some question as to whether or not human trafficking actually increases over Super Bowl week, the focus on it has been a boon to law enforcement agencies, as 22,000 calls were placed last year with tips to the human trafficking hotline.

ABC News 7 reported that the Denver Broncos had released a statement about the human trafficking case, and although Ryan Murphy wasn’t charged, the team decided that the best course of action was to send him home.

“Although practice squad safety Ryan Murphy was not cited by police, we decided it was best for the team if we continued our preparations for Super Bowl 50 without him. Ryan is returning to Denver but his status as a practice squad player has not changed at this time.”

Even though there has been an effort in these human trafficking cases to cite both the pimps and solicitors of prostitutes, law enforcement also tries to focus on the human element of these cases and not just the criminal element. Over $1 million was allocated last year for case management, and victims’ advocates are often involved in these sting operations.

Murphy, who is a 6’4?, 214-pound rookie, was a seventh round draft pick who went to Seattle last year. He was later released from the Seattle Seahawks training camp and joined the Denver Broncos training camp this year. No word has come from Murphy as to why he was involved in soliciting prostitution through human trafficking.

[Image via AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes]

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