 Inspired by his experience with "The Great Debaters," Parker began working with a Brooklyn initiative called Leadership and Literacy through Debate.In 1999, while a sophomore at Penn State University, Parker and his roommate and wrestling teammate, Jean McGianni Celestin, were accused of raping a white female fellow student.The accuser stated that Parker and Celestin raped her while she was intoxicated and unconscious, and that she was unsure of how many people had been involved.