Bishop Eddie Long Scandal: He Wanted Sex in Church, Says Accuser Jamal Parris
ATLANTA (CBS/AP) Jamal Parris, one of the young men accusing Bishop Eddie Long of coercing him into a sexual relationship, said that after he turned the legal age of consent all the pastor wanted was sex.
"His house. The hotels. His condos. In the church," Parris told Fox TV affiliate WAGA. "In the church, before and after service."
Parris admitted to the Atlanta station that the suggestive pictures of the pastor wearing spandex and workout clothes were sent to him and that the pastor expected him to return the favor.
"Did he ask for pictures like that from you?" WAGA reporter Dale Russell asked Parris, who then replied, "Yeah."
The 23-year-old is one of four men suing the megachurch preacher in state court, claiming that Long abused his "spiritual authority" and gave them cars, clothes, cash and trips to lure them into sexual relationships while they were teen members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta.
Parris described an ongoing emotional struggle.
"I cannot get the sound of his voice out of my head and I cannot forget the smell of his cologne and I cannot forget the way he made me cry many nights when I drove in his cars on the way home," Parris told the station. "I'm not able to take enough showers to wipe the smell of him off my body."
During services at his church on Sunday, Long turned to biblical terms to portray himself as an underdog but didn't outright deny the allegations.
In the Fox interview, a vehement Parris said Long "manipulated us from childhood" under the guise of providing a fatherly influence. Parris was referring to himself and the other accusers: Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande. All four are now in their 20s but were 17 and 18 when they had sexual relationships with Long, the lawsuits say. As the age of consent in Georgia is 16, Long will apparently not face criminal charges.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF BISHOP EDDIE LONG ON CRIMESIDER
