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To be clear I am not in any way advocating that sanctions are levied against accusers who report accusations in good-faith. And I do believe that the vast majority of reports are submitted in good-faith. Meaning the accuser believes something bad happened and is truthful about the details of the situation when they report it. I understand that someone may report something in good faith yet SafeSport can determine that no code violation occurred based upon their investigation. In this case there should obviously be no repercussions whatsoever for the accuser. if anyone thought that is what I was suggesting I’m sorry if I was unclear.
But in theory it is possible for someone to submit a knowingly false accusation with ill intent of harming the accused. Again I think this is a very rare scenario. I only raised this with the thought that everyone up in arms about the risk of SafeSport being leveraged by individuals with ill intent may re-think their position if there was an understanding that knowingly lodging a false accusation is in itself an act that can be sanctioned.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/s…safesport.html Note that this was from Sept last year.
At that time, roughly 550 cases netted 150 permanent bans. That doesn’t sound an organization handing out lifetime bans, willy nilly.
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@Virginia Horse Mom why should Safe sport operate differently? In many different jobs and with arrests in general, it is made public. Teachers are suspended upon initial investigation and it’s made public. Why should coaches have it any different?
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In the SafeSport training, they very specifically point out why any incidence of suspected misconduct has to be reported to both the RGB and law enforcement-- because if you only report to law enforcement, a potential abuser still has access to kids.
The interim suspension is necessary to keep the alleged away from minors until it can be determined whether or not he/she is a threat.
In situations like Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar, they WERE reported to both their governing bodies and law enforcement. The governing bodies did nothing until law enforcement had enough evidence for a compelling charge, which took YEARS. SafeSport may have not stopped these individuals from engaging in sexual misconduct, but it would have reduced the number of victims to which they had access.
I understand that in the case of an allegation that either is a)not sanctionable or b)false, it is a seemingly unnecessary hardship for the person accused to be placed on interim suspension. I also understand that it seems unfair that you have to pay your own legal fees. Yet I don’t know what the better alternative is-- making the victims pay is messed up. Making reporters pay if they are “wrong” and the investigation doesn’t lead to a sanction will only discourage people from reporting. It seems like SafeSport expedites the process as much as possible to reduce the time spent on interim suspension. Could you imagine how long it would take to get it lifted if the law was involved, like many are suggesting?!?
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Thanks. Very informative article. It’s a beginning toward getting a run down of the sort of stats I am curious about.
I did find one database that I could search across sports. But only to find banned or temporarily suspended people. No data on people who were accused, temporarily suspended, but at the conclusion of the investigation safesport lifted the suspension and recommended no further action.
I just wanted to clarify some things about the process. A friend was emailed the night before USEF sent out the email about their interim suspension. They were given no chance to defend themselves before their name was released publicly. The interim suspension was lifted during the investigation for this person. I’m not sure how long they quietly investigated before the email was sent, but I know all of it caught them off guard. Personally, I think these interim suspensions should be handled quietly until they make a decision. The masses are quick to flame people and not bother to follow up if they had been cleared. After a decision has been reached, let them get flamed.
Also, this whole thing has turned in to a terrible thing for the victims. Imagine having to be interviewed over and over again by people why aren’t really trained in sexual assault victims. Even though they are anonymous and confidential, the masses(after names are released) are having a grand old time digging up social media etc and trying to figure out who the victims are. There really is no protection for either party and I’m afraid this will make a conceptually good program collapse.
Sorry if its been discussed, I’ve busy traveling for work and haven’t been able to read all 28 pages.
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Originally posted by BigMama1 View Post
Serious question - have there been high profile cases in equestrian disciplines other than h/j? If not, why not? And is h/j the only discipline in which there has been such a strong backlash against SafeSport?
Yes, if you look at the sanctioned/banned list it lists the disciplines.
Thanks. That article is a start on some of the stats I am curious about.
I did find a SafeSport database and can search it, across multiple sports. But I can not seem to find any info in it on people who were temporarily suspended, investigated, and then Safe Sport recommended no further action and lifted the suspension.
I’m not looking for info on whether an accusation was false… or whether someone was innocent… because I think “proving” either of those things is pretty far beyond the scope of SafeSport. But what is within the scope is deciding to recommend lifetime bans. Which means they also decide to NOT recommend lifetime bans. And I think it’s a bit problematic to publicize when someone is temporarily banned/suspended and under investigation, but then NOT publicize that Safe Sport recommended the suspension be lifted and no further action taken.
Does that make sense to anyone? Maybe I am missing some part of the communications process though.
Thanks - this is informative!
Also, this whole thing has turned in to a terrible thing for the victims. Imagine having to be interviewed over and over again by people why aren’t really trained in sexual assault victims.
That is not accurate. You may want to actually read the thread where the qualifications of the investigators are discussed at length.
The terrible things for the victims are the original assaults and the victim shaming after reporting. Being interviewed by investigators runs a far distant third in the “terrible thing” sweepstakes.
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Thanks for the link to the NYT article and stats - informative. My COTH account is acting up today… frustrating.
https://safesport.bamboohr.com/jobs/
This link shows the job openings they have. See listed requirements for the positions.
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That’s a valid point. The fact that it’s made public when people are arrested or suspended. It’s been awhile since I have dug around trying to look up background info on someone arrested, but I know I have found info before when someone was arrested but a case was later dismissed. So I guess I’m curious about why that isn’t public for SafeSport…
When teachers are suspended, but then a suspension lifted and they begin teaching again… is that tracked and publicized? Or do they just begin teaching again, and folks have to assume that the investigation was properly concluded and closed, and no additional charges are pending?
Does my question make a little more sense?
On keeping the interim suspensions private? Not for trainers running barns on the USEF rated show trail it won’t be private. They can try and not publish it but every client in the barn will want to know why their $$ trainer is not going with them to th $$$$$ AA shows and it will be all over FB in a few days. Not practical.
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So your asking why they don’t make it public when they come off the list?
Maybe that would be something to suggest for the USEF to do. Honestly when most people are cleared of things, the general public doesn’t care.
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How would one enforce a “quiet” suspension?
I understand it was a humiliating experience for your friend, but what is the alternative? Keep letting abusers abuse kids until you can prove it beyond reasonable doubt? That hasn’t been working out so well for the victims…
Racing is my chosen horse sport these days. Drug suspensions are rampant, not because everyone is nefarious, but because testing is standard practice and has become so sensitive. Good trainers get bad drug tests for reasons out of their control, like environmental contamination or even the biochemical makeup of the horses. They have to serve their suspensions, which is terrible. Does that mean I think we shouldn’t drug test or suspend the positives? No. Far more cheaters get caught than good people. The system has flaws, but it’s better for the horses than the alternative of not doing it. I feel similarly about SafeSport.
(Here’s where racing’s million other flaws open my analogy to attack :lol:)
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I would think, that if someone is being suspended, even if it is an “interim” suspension, that it would have to be public, so that show officials would be aware.
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likely not if the investigation turned up nothing and things were dismissed. you need to remember that safesport is just operating on behalf of the “Club” you paid to be a member of. If you have things to hide and don’t want to follow the rules, you can be removed from the club anytime the club wants to remove you. This is no different that medication violations and abuse allegations which lead to suspensions; only these accusations and investigations are much more serious. Consider the Safesport investigators to be the “stewards” for minors, not the horses.
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In my experience with co-workers, it is the latter.
Suspension is big, public fanfare— usually in the news.
But the only person notified a suspension is lifted is the suspended themselves.
In my schools, it’s been “oh look, so and so is back.”
Unfortunately, sometimes the suspension is lifted before law enforcement is finished their investigation, and person ends up being charged with something at a later date. :no:
As a teacher, I would feel MORE protected with something like SafeSport in place, instead of trusting the whims of principals, superintendents, and school boards. Unions used to provide that protection, but many states have either removed their unions or greatly reduced their abilities. We teachers can be suspended for pretty much anything that will outrage someone, regardless of whether or not it poses danger to children. Luckily there are more good people than bad in this world and most administrators are sensible. But you do hear horror stories.
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