WAG Discussion of abuse in USAG - Nassar

[donoharm]

So... Ferguson doesn't remember saying that the victims and their lawyers were only after money?

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news...-stepping-down-amid-calls-for-his-resignation

Let's look to about 10 months ago:
https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-new...at-in-nassar-gynmastics-scandal-investigation

Oh, and Ferguson may have been happy with Siomon and Hollis, but both are now gone. And I hope Michigan mounts a recall.[/Q

So... Ferguson doesn't remember saying that the victims and their lawyers were only after money?

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news...-stepping-down-amid-calls-for-his-resignation

Let's look to about 10 months ago:
https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-new...at-in-nassar-gynmastics-scandal-investigation

Oh, and Ferguson may have been happy with Siomon and Hollis, but both are now gone. And I hope Michigan mounts a recall.

Ask Sam Brown, former PSU asst coach, about the person from PSU who first told her he used to be FBI or something then asked if it was money she was after. That adds insult to injury ... almost to gauge whether or not hush money is an option. It's disgusting. If there is money that shakes out in the end that's incidental to the true purpose of holding people accountable and stopping the abuse.

 

[TumbleTimes4]

Did anyone notice that Lou Anna Simon's resignation (vs. being fired) kicks into effect a clause in her contract that means she is guaranteed $750K salary next year, and $535K for the next two years after that?

And yet they want to dismiss the lawsuits and not pay for the therapy for the victims. So messed up that they are rewarding negligence and yet refusing to take financial responsibility for the neglect that caused these women to be assaulted.

 

[profmom]

Well, they can't unilaterally abridge the contract with Simon. What she is getting is simply what they agreed to pay her prior to any of this. They'd have needed to fire her to hold onto that money. I suspect university counsel will be rather busy in the future and the office doesn't need the distraction of a lawsuit for breach of contract.

 

[LindyHopper]

Morgan McCaul regarding her phone call with Joel Ferguson the evening after he callously called this tragedy "this Nassar thing"

 

[raenndrops]

Nor to mention the lifetime free tech support for her and her husband from MSU's IT department, lifetime football tickets, options for basketball tickets and parking passes... All kinds of weird perks. From what I understand, this is unusual for most University president contracts.

And she can return to a faculty position!
grrr!!!

 

[donoharm]

There is something very wrong with a system that allows these people to have a safety net like that. She didn'thave the moral decency to see that students were protected yet she can be given the honor of teaching? If that happens, I hope not one student enrolls in her class.

 

[Mish]

So I saw in the news today that the Safe Sport bill to protect athletes is going before the House today. It passed in the Senate months ago and was introduced almost a year ago. I guess it takes scandal and heinous crimes to move things along.

 

[KipNurse]

This is kind of interesting...Or has this already been posted? Sorry if so...
http://www.koin.com/sports/local-gym-cuts-ties-with-usa-gymnastics/941350188

 

[LindyHopper]

So I saw in the news today that the Safe Sport bill to protect athletes is going before the House today. It passed in the Senate months ago and was introduced almost a year ago. I guess it takes scandal and heinous crimes to move things along.

About time!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

This is kind of interesting...Or has this already been posted? Sorry if so...
http://www.koin.com/sports/local-gym-cuts-ties-with-usa-gymnastics/941350188

If they are just a recreational gym, then they don’t compete. They lose nothing by opting out. USAG is not going to miss them.

It’s easy to make such a bold statement when you are not competing. An excellent marketing stand as well.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I had started to say the same thing.

Our gym only does Xcel. One of our coaches in particular has been vocal about finding another league to compete. But TAAF has kept other leagues out of Texas, and she says TAAF is very problematic itself.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I had started to say the same thing.

Our gym only does Xcel. One of our coaches in particular has been vocal about finding another league to compete. But TAAF has kept other leagues out of Texas, and she says TAAF is very problematic itself.

Perhaps USAIGC is an option.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

There's not a USAIGC competition within 1,500 miles of us.

 

[twinmomma]

As a T&T team, we have no options other than USAG. Force change from within. Don't punish good coaches and hard working kids. Commit to fixing it.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

There's not a USAIGC competition within 1,500 miles of us.

Ah but if gyms got together....... then there would be.

 

[twinmomma]

Ah but if gyms got together....... then there would be.

It's more than just getting gyms together. You need trained judges, and people to run meets. Trained judges I would imagine is a major obstacle. I know it is for T&T.

 

[MILgymFAM]

As a T&T team, we have no options other than USAG. Force change from within. Don't punish good coaches and hard working kids. Commit to fixing it.

It's more than just getting gyms together. You need trained judges, and people to run meets. Trained judges I would imagine is a major obstacle. I know it is for T&T.

In T&T there is also AAU. Rhythmic has IGC. In artistic there are multiple other organizations. Is it simple to make a switch, no, but if enough gyms jumped to another league it could absolutely work. It would have to, honestly, because no one is giving up the Olympics in this country. The judges are already judges and the competition is already there- there just needs to be a widespread commitment to a different path or organization. It would take some training, and may lead to a messy season or two to work out the kinks, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

 

[BachFlyer]

I lean towards forcing USAG to make changes by threatening to de-certify, but not actually decertifying. Starting completely over or absorbing USAG into another organization seems like it may create more issues than it might solve. What is to say it would be any better (ie: more transparent, better culture, less rewarding of results-over-athlete welfare)? Are those organizations equipped from a policy and procedure standpoint to handle such a huge network of gyms? I guess if one of the other organizations (AAU, IGC) already had the right kind of policies in place and showing the right kinds of protections for the athletes, then I might be more open to the idea.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

MILGymFan, I totally agree. I suspect what people have said about USAG ending up in bankruptcy may well be correct. And I know something (hopefully multiple somethings) will move in to fill the void. And I am sure it will be a disaster for a little while.

It's just unfortunate that in our area of the country, there's nothing else to step into if a competitive gym wants to stop giving money to USAG. As I said, USAIGC is 1500 miles away; the closest AAU meet is 800. Obviously gyms can get together and start from the ground up, but that's a hard sell at this point. TAAF is here, but they're even worse on athlete protections than USAG, and their presence kept out the alternative leagues.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

It's more than just getting gyms together. You need trained judges, and people to run meets. Trained judges I would imagine is a major obstacle. I know it is for T&T.

We’ve done both IGC, Xcel and JO. We’ve seen many of the same judges in all 3.

And many gyms have meets that have JO, Xcel and IGC at the same meet. Different sessions.
We have in fact had our kids at the same mee, some of them JO and some IGC. So the coach only has to go to one meet.

It can be done