Thank you for continuing to speak up. It’s important for everyone that has survived sexual abuse at the hands of someone we were supposed to trust to speak up when and where we can and keep doing it. That is what it will take to make it easier for the younger children to recognize and report it in the future. I don’t think we will ever rid the world of abuse, but maybe we can rid it of victim blaming and shaming.
6 Likes
@MHM thank you for sharing and @Carrie1thank you for the article. This is what we should be sharing and talking about in order to help our sport become a safer environment for youth riders.
4 Likes
Thank you for sharing your experience. Definitely an interesting, firsthand perspective on a positive experience.
2 Likes
Thank you, Carrie, for writing that column. I can say, hand on heart, that you dispelled many of the ideas I had about the process. I hope that your family has begun the healing process.
All I can say is, we ride with Maggie!
8 Likes
Carrie - thank you for your honest insight into the entire process. I find it unforgivable that people question you or your daughter’s integrity throughout this impossible process. Please know that you have supporters who do not know you personally but would never question the honesty of an abuse reporter.
Among other things, the fact that SS has hired more investigators and is still overwhelmed makes me sick to my stomach. (Honestly the whole piece made me sick for you and your family.) Why are so many people being abused? Why do so many think it is ok to treat others in this manner? That’s not directed at just those who commit sexual abuse but those who abuse verbally and emotionally as well. What happened to common decency? And that is not just directed at equine sports but at humanity in general.
8 Likes
Thanks hoopoe for updating the thread, and linking to news of the Senate hearing involving the testimony 4 heroic US gymnasts yesterday, as well as later testimony from Chris Wray (FBI director) and Michael Horowitz (the DOJ Inspector General).
And @Carrie1 - thanks for participating on this thread, and sharing your recent report in the Chronicle regarding your family’s experience and perspective on the SafeSport process.
I took time yesterday to watch the Senate hearing, both the portion involving the gymnasts, and the 2nd portion involving the testimony from Wray and Horowitz. I have been following news of the Nassar case for a while… but most especially after the IG report came out this summer.
For those of you who haven’t followed it closely… yesterday was VERY much about accountability with respect to the MSNY people who turned a blind eye to reported abuse… but most especially to the FBI agent who took Maroney’s report of abuse in 2015, and his boss (the agent in charge of the Indianapolis field office). Those two men didn’t just turn a blind eye to the report of abuse… they actively BURIED the Nassar case for over a year. It’s complicated… you have to read the IG report to fully comprehend the details. But clearly there was a level of corruption in play. The head of USA Gymnastics dangled a cushy USOPC job in front of the Agent in charge of the Indy field office (who was nearing retirement from the FBI, and considering his post FBI career options)… and MYSTERIOUSLY, right as these 2 men engaged in a sidebar discussion of possible lucrative job opportunities for Agent Abbott, McKayla Maroney’s report of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar got buried in the FBI’s Indianapolis field office for over a year. The agent assigned to work on it did NOTHING with the case… he didn’t even complete the required summary report regarding her initial interview detailing the abuse she experienced.
And Larry Nassar spent that whole year abusing more gymnasts. Over 100 girls….
Then, in 2016, parallel complaints about Nassar, made to local law enforcement in Michigan, gained traction, and the case broke wide open.
So what does this have to do with this thread? Well… SafeSport was discussed at yesterday’s hearing. Bluntly, the gymnasts who testified had a low opinion of SafeSport. One major issue to understand is the sheer scope of the corruption with the NGB (USA Gymnastics) in this case, and the questions of legal liability involved. There has been an ongoing massive lawsuit, because of USA Gymnastics’ obvious negligence… and the fact is that some of the key folks at the heart of this lawsuit have made statements indicating that they regard SafeSport as an attempt on the part of the USOPC to avoid legal liability for sexual abuse cases going forward.
I’m not qualified to weigh in on the validity of this perspective and opinion, to be blunt. But I think it’s important to mention that underlying opinion that MANY of the folks in the gymnastics community hold about SafeSport. The scope of corruption and systemic sexual abuse in that sport is so profound, that you can’t blame anyone for having lost all trust in systemic remedies.
But my personal position, after following this case and reading Carrie’s recent report for COTH, is that SafeSport is better than no reform. And as others have indicated… it clearly is improving with each year. There is more independence from USOPC with respect to SafeSport funding now, and hopefully that means investigations will be less likely to be subject to undue influence. Also… that funding has been increased. Dramatically. And there seems to be bipartisan support to continue funding SafeSport, and to make it an effective entity.
9 Likes
I think I would win a Nobel Prize if I knew that answer. My peace and compassion for humanity has really slipped in the last few years. I am really bothered by this in myself
10 Likes
It reminds me of the old saying that perfect is the enemy of good.
The current system may not be perfect, but it seems to be improving over time.
And it’s certainly an improvement over the old system, where lots of dirtbags got away with endless abuse and no repercussions.
17 Likes
As far as the hearing yesterday though, and the accountability questions when it comes to the FBI agents who mishandled this case, and the IG report which indicated corrupt influence by the head of the NGB with respect to rewarding a corrupt agent with a cushy USOPC job…
Yeah. It’s awful. And worth paying attention to, even in our niche sport.
In my opinion, what happened, on a really BASIC level, over a period of years, is that adults involved in a sport cared more about their economic and professional interests than about these allegations of abuse. The abuse allegations had the potential to sideline certain powerful people’s coaching careers, and cast an ugly light upon the lucrative and successful USA Gymnastics program… so the allegations were suppressed and buried, one way or another, for years.
Eventually, certain complaints did reach law enforcement professionals… and some law enforcement professionals ALSO chose to bury the issue. Again… because certain adults cared more about their own economic and professional interests than about the actual issues of abuse involved.
Fortunately, other law enforcement professionals actually DID care about the victims, and eventually the Nassar case was cracked. But a heck of a lot of adults ignored whispers, complaints, etc, for years and years… because the success of the sport (and related economic opportunities for coaches, the NGB, and the USOPC) came first, and the well being of minor athletes came second.
Back to equestrian sport. On a fundamental level, over the last few years, the SafeSport debates have split along the same lines…. Professionals who are concerned about their own economic and business interests, vs. others (athletes, parents) who are concerned about the abuse issues with athletes, first and foremost, and the economic worries of professionals in the sport… second.
This USA Gymnastics case is educative for everyone. I hope one of the lessons learned is that if one abuser is deeply entrenched in a sport, and heavily networked with other professionals and NGB officials… it can literally destroy the entire sport. Adults who minimize abuse situations by declaring that the perpetrator committed the bad actions long ago, or by stating that the abuse involved wasn’t THAT bad (just a little groping and flirting, and only one or two girls) well… just realize that these are the exact same arguments, and the exact same logic that was used by Larry Nassar’s enablers for years. And look what happened. A total tragedy all around.
10 Likes
And one more note on yesterday’s hearings…
All the people who have been saying over and over for years, “Victims should just report to law enforcement! There doesn’t need to be another layer of officials involved in youth sports sexual abuse complaints!” … well…
All of these folks should watch/listen to McKayla Maroney’s testimony from yesterday.
Listen to the full 8 minutes, then tell me again why we shouldn’t create another layer of support and protection for minor victims of sexual abuse to reach out to, in the event they wish to come forward.
16 Likes
When Nassar was running rampant at Michigan State, he was reported there also, but that was ignored by administrators, and he was supported by the gymnastic coach even after his arrest. His arrest, and subsequent revelations of multiple reports led to the resignation of the school president, his successor, and the gymnastics coach. However, after his arrest the coach wanted all of the gymnasts to sign a card for him.
2 Likes
Kathie Klages?
Fortunately, she EVENTUALLY was held accountable…
5 Likes
WOW. Really?!? Just wow.
I think the best and most immediate thing that could happen as a result of that hearing is for the two FBI agents who dropped the ball so badly to be promptly hung from the nearest yard arm, so to speak. Arrest them, throw the book at them, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, and then lock them up and throw away the key.
In the current climate, it would get a lot of publicity, so at least the next time around, an FBI agent or someone similar would think twice about not taking the matter seriously.
4 Likes
Beautifully written Carrie. Thank you for sharing. I hope your daughter and your whole family are doing well.
5 Likes
People are afraid to stand up against the status quo because they know the sport will fight back and the people at the top will have many lower status soldiers of that sport imposing that culture of punishment: no teams picks, lower scores, abusive training until that person is chased from the sport.
The ONLY way to stand against a sport’s culture is not to care about the ostricizing you will get and not be concerned about being competitive.
3 Likes
There is a quote about an unnamed other person in one of Kristin Medall Simpson Ferguson Hardin’s facebook post that I think is important:
I offered to help him coach , I offered to teach him how to coach - in a manner where he was not emotionally involved , didn’t get frustrated - where coaching didn’t turn him into a bad man , because he is not a bad man.
This is the other half of professionalizing our sport. Teaching people the rules of HR, teaching people to teach effectively. Not pretending that because you can ride you know how to teach someone else to ride. We were all kindergarteners once, we all can add simple numbers, but most of us would not be successful plonked in a room of 25 kindergarteners and giving a math lesson.
There’s a lot we can do to put our coaches on a better path, especially young coaches, so that the investigative side of Safe Sport has much less to do.
14 Likes
We need to remember that SafeSport was put in place as a “last resort”. It is trying to clean up in many cases what were absolutely disastrous situations. We can argue about SafeSport until we are blue in the face - they do so many things right and some things not as well - but we are spending all this anger and energy addressing that - let’s put all of our energy into addressing the root of the problem and work to alleviate theVERY HEAVY need for SafeSport. We will always need SafeSport - but they are a last step in cleaning up a horrific scene. We are working to prevent anyone from getting to that scene. Please visit www.weridetogether.today and start working to change this. Sexual mis-conduct is endemic in all youth sports, but it is especially rampant in individual sports where there is more intense coaching and training. Horse sport needs to be the leader in addressing this and ultimately hope that the discussions begin in all sports where children and young adults spend their lives growing up.
www.weridetogether.today
21 Likes
In other news… Jeff Campf has been suspended by SafeSport. It sounds like the investigation is ongoing, and the temporary suspension is a protective measure put in place.
The positive aspect of this is that when the Chronicle posted a report about this on Facebook today, they actually DIDN’T get hundreds of comments from people who were victim blaming or frothing at the mouth about witch hunts. Last I checked, there was 1 person who commented about “GuiLTy until PrOVen InNoCenT” , and then several people engaged politely with her, trying to explain the process and use appropriate, rational parallels.
The general FB reaction to this high profile suspension is MARKEDLY different than some of the previous ones. It seems like a positive sign of some sort of cultural change in the sport.
16 Likes
Don’t bother engaging Wanda. She is beyond help and a look at her family tree will show you exactly why she is the way she is.
3 Likes
I agree with this in relation to teaching people about HR, professional skills, etc.
I wholeheartedly disagree with what KMSFH says about this person: “he is not a bad man.”
A man who discusses sex with respect to minors he is coaching is absolutely a bad man. Read again what he said and how he said it. He’s not lacking professional skills, he is displaying inappropriate thoughts and ideation regarding minors. Had he said, she needs to be smacked upside the head, it would have been inappropriate and indicative of a need to gain teaching and professional skills.
Instead, he articulated ideas of minors being incapacitated by alcohol and being sexually active if not assaulted. He said, "“what that kid really needs is to get blackout drunk and F#%#%€D a couple times to get with the program”.
That has nothing to do with professionalising the sport. That’s not something any of us who are not psych professionals can teach others, and it’s not our job. Backing off making an SS report and having a heart-to-heart with him instead was not the right reaction.
I note KMSFH also said she does not think that it does any good to have sexual predators in jail or banned from the sport. I cannot disagree more strongly with this stance.
Again I say, professionals from robustly trained and regulated professions go to jail and get banned from their profession all the time for infractions vastly less devastating and criminal than raping children (or adults). There is zero reason why equestrian professionals should not be held to the same standards when they commit crimes against children in their programmes. Zero.
19 Likes
