Why did USFSA -before the investigation was closed- publicize the suspension? Was this "deadly transparency" really necessary? It should have been possible to announce that only internally.
No, it has to be announced and publicized. We know what a culture of silence leads to. Only look at Pennsylvania football or USA Gymnastics. John should be not allowed to continue working with children, (even though that's what he did) when there is substantial corroborating evidence that he committed sexual misconduct. Furthermore, parents have a right to know if their children's' teachers are under investigation.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but I do believe in accountability. And not just for politicians you disagree with," Colbert said on “The Late Show” Monday. "Everybody believes in accountability until it's their guy, and, make no mistake, xx xxx is my guy."
It took TWENTY YEARS for Callaghan to be suspended!!!!!!!!!
No group like SafeSport would take the action they have without substantial evidence. Thank you , Metis, for the TSL video.
There's a lot of case law in the USA about how an organization cannot interfere with a person's right to earn a living. Common for companies to say they have a policy of only verifying dates of employment for a former employee and they will not discuss anything about the person's character or work value. (There have been many lawsuits over negative references that led to those kinds of policies)
We do not know what led to the SafeSport sanctions but they would not have been placed lightly or without care on the organization's part because even SafeSport can be sued for overreach in US courts
I don't know what the evidence was against John, but they suspended Alex Naddour (men's gymnast) in June 2018 and he was cleared and reinstated in November 2018.
https://eu.azcentral.com/story/spor...s-queen-creek-gymnast-alex-naddour/720114002/“On June 20, 2018, USA Gymnastics suspended the membership of Alexander Naddour.”
Naddour's father and coach Mike Naddour said, "No one has contacted us to tell us what the allegations are. We don't know anything.
I feel I need to jump in, although I know next to nothing about Safe Sport, to correct a misimpression:
SafeSport does NOT *replace* law enforcement. If a crime (contact under the age of consent, forcible contact) occurs, it should be reported to law enforcement. If it is communicated to an organization like Safe Sport, they are mandatory reporters (ETA: in my state) who should report knowledge of a crime to law enforcement.
SafeSport provides, I would imagine, further protections above and beyond law enforcement. Contact with persons of the age of consent. Non forcible contact. Bullying that is not physical abuse. Behaviors that the organization prohibits, but that the law does not consider a crime.
I am making this surmise based on my own work with similar in-house procedures, knowing nothing about SafeSport procedures other than the website,
Further, “secrecy” is not for the organization’s benefit, but for the *complainant’s* benefit. To encourage open and honest communication from persons with complaints. Who are free to go to the press, the public, or wherever they want if they do not want such privacy. At least in my organization.
So very sad all around:sad21:
There is a Go Fund Me page started by Delilah To help the family with Legal/Funeral expenses.
Too bad Alex Naddour did not sue them. And WOW, I just went to look at some of the people restricted by SafeSport and there are a LOT of them. Ryan Lochte's father (retired swim coach) among them.
Thank you. Someone very close to me was abused by Nassar in the time period between when it was first reported to USAG and when it was actually publicized/common knowledge. It was kept so close to the vest in that case that he was still allowed to work with young girls, and in the process victimized countless others. SafeSport was founded to prevent anything like that from happening again.
I have seen it from both sides - a family friend of mine was investigated, his name published, and then ultimately cleared of wrongdoing. But I don’t blame them one bit for publicizing the investigation, as it serves two purposes: 1) protecting any potential future victims and/or revictimization of the complainant and 2) sending a message that this kind of thing is taken seriously now and won’t just be swept under the rug like in year’s past.
I’m so sorry to hear about John’s passing, but there is some level of corroborating evidence for SafeSport and now USFS to suspend him. They had to have multiple pieces of evidence to publicize it this way, they are funded by USOC and aren’t in the business of scapegoating. Further due process would have come in time, and his name could have been exonerated if that was the case. But now I don’t know if we’ll ever know.
That is so unbelievably uncomfortable
Again, see the Deadspin piece that is less than a year old. SafeSport was, at that time, not even employing qualified investigators and it's lawyer wasn't actually a lawyer. We don't know that they had corroborating evidence.
As for the need to publicize it to get him away from children...well, if the allegations involved children, he should have been turned over to law enforcement immediately. When a teacher at a school I was working at sexually abused a 14 year old student, he was literally arrested the day it was reported. Strong corroborating evidence of child sexual abuse should have been turned over to law enforcement and he would have been arrested. That didn't happen. So either it was not sexual abuse or SafeSport has bigger questions to answer.