From the OC Register:
A DVD provided to Nadadores officials and obtained by the Register contains photos of a 2006 diary in which Dusenbury and the girl purportedly chronicle their relationship, in often intimate detail, including dates and places where sex acts occurred.
"...The DVD also contains photos of a teenage girl in her underwear in Dusenbury's apartment and seated on his bed. Club officials and Nadadores parents have identified the girl as the former Aliso Niguel student. ..."
[Link]
Currently Dusenbury is working right alongside his friend and colleague, George Block, who is also the friend and colleague of John Leonard. To rub salt in the wound, the non-profit he now works for is called Voices for the Children.
Mr. Leonard is still featuring Dusenbury as a speaker at an ASCA event in Las Vegas this coming September which is not surprising since he seemingly has a history of protecting his.... (The ellipsis denotes deletion, a hanging thought for people like Susan Woesner and Chuck Wielgus to consider.)
Who really are the individuals a certifying body; (ASCA), should put first? The coaches or the children? Is USA Swimming ok with this?
From the OC Weekly Blogs:
"... I just wanted to drop you a line to clarify something that was in your recent post about the Mission Viejo Nadadores. In the story Sunday I referred to Rick Brotherton being appalled at the club's reaction to the Dusenbury situation. That was in reference to the club's reaction this past August. Dusenbury resigned, then was allowed to withdraw the resignation and return to the club. Several parents were upset with the decision to call him back from Palo Alto. Coaches and club officials opposed the club firing him yet would not view the material raising the allegations. That is what Mr. Brotherton was upset with and why he left the club.
[Link]
Now, perhaps if I suggest this one more time: A no one-on-on rule would have prevented this real or imagined situation from ever happening, hmmm?
Perhaps it is an unworkable rule but if I may suggest to all the coaches and parents out there, it is a security measure that should be considered.
Above is Chloe Sutton, A Natadore swimmer.
46 comments:
"Mr. Leonard is still featuring Dusenbury as a speaker at an ASCA event in Las Vegas this coming September..."
Tony,
I checked the other day and Ad'm isn't listed as a speaker for the L.V. clinic.
I too took a screen shot of the cached page showing him as a Level 2 presenter.
M.V.'s Bryan Dedeaux is now presenting the Level 2 program:
http://www.swimmingcoach.org/worldclinic/asca2012/program.asp
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Did you see the end of the OC Register article?
"Dusenbury was allowed to continue coaching until October when allegations of additional sexual impropriety surfaced. Dusenbury voluntarily left the club the weekend of October 22-23 after being confronted with those allegations."
This doesn't surprise me. Earlier in the article it says he forgot the DVD when he moved out; how you could forget to take the "skeleton in the closet"? Maybe there are too many skeletons to keep track of.
Does USA Swimming still investigate once a coach is no longer coaching?
I remember a stink raised about a coach who people felt should have been on the banned list but Chuck Weilgus said that because he was working at a county club instead of a USA Swimming club it was not USA Swimming's duty to ban him.
Is that what will happen here? Sit out for a few years until things cool off.
The only evidence is a DVD provided by his ex-girlfriend? The minor in question (now 22 and in college, away from the coach) denies it? The relationship continued even though the swimmer moved on to another club? Police investigation determined there was not enough evidence to even file suit? Parents of swimmers he coached, upon knowing of the accusations, talked to their children and none of them report anything?
It seems to me like this guy was burned by the media like witches would face fire in the medieval times. There is no excuse for a coach to have a sexual relationship with a minor. But upon reading everything I found about this, I'm skeptical, to say the least, to believe the arguments against him.
Thank you for the link, I clicked it again and I am seeing his name.
http://www.swimmingcoach.org/worldclinic/asca2012/12ascawc_ProgramTimelineLandingPage.html
Let's presume him innocent and let's presume that illegal contact never happened. We go with the premise that this never happened as we morally should!
Your assumption seems to be that this is a frame-up or set-up by a scorned woman. If so, he is offering no defense nor legal recourse.
However, if these journals are in his own hand writing; which is something he can confirm or deny; (perhaps he has), you would think that this denial would have been published. If not I would like to hear his answer since now that he is a public figure.
Next, you have to have a victim to have a crime. Is the photo real or 'Shopped? What do the parents say?
There are still questions
Another existential question: what if these journals are real?
If they are fake all he has to do is deny it. There was no denial published.
If they are real, and these entries were fictional pieces written to just to amuse himself - (YUK) - should a person be banned or punished for a thought crime written to one's self?
The answer might actually be YES!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_v._Dalton
There is a photo of the girl in her underwear on his bed. That's incriminating!
As for the girl's denial: she may have been in love with him. If the journal entries are hers, it sounds like the relationship ended on good terms (if it has ended). From the OC Register article:
"The disc also contains a note to Dusenbury dated "5.25.2010" from a second journal in a feminine hand that thanks Dusenbury and says "These 4 years have been magical, difficult, fun, adventurous, hard, memorable...""
Tony, it looks like the link you have leads to an old flier of next year's Clinic. If you go to ASCA's home page and click on the Clinic's logo, you'll see Bryan Dedeaux listed as the Level 2 program.
Regarding Ad'm, you're right that my assumption, based on the information I had access to, is that he was framed by an ex-girlfriend. I think the alleged victim's denial of any sexual or inappropriate relation actually speaks louder than a denial that came from him. Also, according to a part of the journal described on the OC article, the girl's mother became aware of their relationship so, as you pointed out, what does she have to say about it (seems nobody listed any statement from her)?
I'm not sure why he has not denied the journal, but the fact that we have not read a denial does not mean we should assume it is real and from his authorship.
All I'm saying is we should not rush to judgment and and light up the fire. If the police decided to not even file suit, it seems the evidence against him is not all that heavy.
I read the article and I do remember that section. Everything is incriminating if it is real.
The crux of the problem is, how do you confirm all of the above when the victim does not seem willing to come forward or have anything to do with it?
USA Swimming is going to have to render a judgement one way or the other.
Unlike the Jefferson quote, they may decide to err on the side of safety since this whole episode is grossly sketchy.
The parents may or may not cooperate, the victim certainly won't. USA Swimming MUST render a controversial decision.
As for the flyer, why is it that the fly I linked to with a September 25, 2012 date is obsolete when it was sent out to their public?
Obviously the deleted him post crisis.
On the MVN Facebook page, a father writes this passage:
[The events, no matter what side you occupy, are sad. What is concerning to this father, is not what may or may not have happened (especially since both parties deny it), it's not whether management or the board followed all procedures at the correct time (although we all know many board members were bull rushed into making decisions without adequate access to information or preparation), its not whether an adult coach's feelings were hurt or whether he was given due process, and its no so much the most important issue of how do I communicate all this to my children. We all understand that tough decisions needed to be made by management and the board, and it was just messy for everyone, Im sorry that ALL the board members and staff unfairly given this tough task.
No, what concerns this father is the number of parents, whether in positions of responsibility or not, on both sides, who felt content and empowered, despite obvious confidentiality issues, to "market", share, gossip regarding a child, for their own personal and political agendas. Early in the process we were all told by the board that all of this is "confidential" and we cannot share details, yet, when it suited certain people's timing, not only were they willing to distribute "pictures" of an underage child, they were more than willing to share her name.
If you are willing to sacrifice this child's right to privacy, you are more than willing to do the same to mine. Those that acted in such a cavalier and thoughtless manner, towards some odd political or personal vendetta, and you know who you are, shame on you.]
Good Lord, it reminds me of the Wielgus email: "Let's keep this between you and me."
My question is what was the second acquisation and why did no body raise a stink when he resigned then. Was the second acquisation just as bad as the first one ???
Did the Board and Coaches realize after the second acquisation that it was time to throw in the towel on this predator of Young Girls...
Begs to question that aspect, doesn't it.. He is guilty...
What perplexes me is why they asked him back after he resigned? It definitely denotes a complete belief in the man's integrity but look at the consequences if they are wrong!
Many of my friends started dating their future husbands when they were 16 and 17 years old. The age differences ranged from 5 years to 12 years.
In the past, many women were married at 18 years old. My parents were 18 and 26.
Not all relationships involve sex from day one or ever.
If this young lady says that nothing inappropriate happened, the matter should be dropped.
I think in some cases your argument has merit, but not in this one if the ages separating the two were more than 3-years, they met in a professional setting, and the parents were not informed.
In fact I am sure the Natadores had rules regarding this sort for this sort of situation. If they don't I am sure they do now.
Sometimes "no comment" is the best answer.
Having had girls in his groups both during and after the alleged relationship, we never once saw anything inappropriate, we never once questioned his integrity...his morals? Maybe not mine, but still not criminal. The sharing of "proof" that was done by MVN board members trying to justify their agenda was wrong. It was wrong for the girl, for the coaach and for the team. Mr. Brothernton was ASKED to resign from the Board or face legal recall. The 2nd issues were not criminal, but to a team already suffering, could not have been helpful. I find it interesting that the article ran the DAY AFTER the USAswim list of banned coaches came out, and Ad'm was not on it. Sounds like maybe more than just a vengeful ex-girlfriend
Regardless of any opinion or knowledge of the situation I have, there are some serious errors that I think can take away from the credibility of the story. First, who is John Dusenbury? Second, the OC reg blog linked has some factual mistakes such as mentioning the coach moved to Palo Alto and was called back. The story doesn't say that at all. He was in Palo Alto for a meet with the Nadadores according to the original article and was sent home. Do these mistakes make him any more or less guilty? I don't think so but if these minor facts are wrong it leads me to believe other facts weren't checked by the bloggers.
One more time.
This would have never have happened if there was a no one-on-one policy. I strongly recommend that the Natadores make this a policy carved in a six foot high pillar of marble.
I'm a mother of three daughters (10, 12, 17 years old and two of them swim for a local team...not MVN) and it hits me hard every time I see "sex with a minor" on the headlines. It ills me to the bone, but for some odd reason (based on my own visual experience of parents that have kids in highly-elite based programs), I'm actually swayed toward the fact that this smells like a witch hunt.
Why did Twongtip "Tippy" go to Rick Brotherton before the police? And from google searches, Rick Brotherton is a professional graphic designer (my nephew is a a graphic designer and he knows how to "shop" any picture any which way). Was anything other than the DVD turned over to the police and/or USA Swimming? If it was just a digital copy of things, I'm not buying this story. Tippy and Rick Brotherton's relationship smells really fishy.
Not trying to defend Mr. Dusenbury, but I smell a witch hunt at it's best: Ex-girlfriend "moves out," receives "by accident" a disc containing documentation/pictures of a 4 year relationship with a girl that was 16 - 20, and turns it into Mr. Dusenbury's employer??? I call witch hunt...motivated by an angry ex-girlfriend. From OC Register comment box: "Interesting thing...as I read this article, the name "Twongtip" reminded me that I have met this person before and interacted with her. I don't know Mr. Dusenbury, but I do remember that "Tippy" was not the most righteous or put-together person. I will not divulge details of my interactions with her (not at all romantic), however, vengeance for being slighted, would not be something I would be surprised to see from her. Maybe Mr. Dusenbury is guilty, but going to his employer before police is vengeance."
You're right Tony, it's all in the hands of USA Swimming to decide whether this is straight BS or legit. Honestly, I think Mr. Dusenbury is being framed. If the police haven't pursued prosecution, then this is character assassination. By the way, why did it take 7 months for Rick Brotherton & Tippy to comment to the OC Register? Why didn't they do it back in August when all this crap was flying around? This also could be a case of an angry swim parent trying to rid the coach...you see a lot of that in the OC these days.
I echo Tony:...too many questions...
With all of this media attention, and no other "victims" are coming forward (at least not yet), rather people are defending Mr. Dusenbury or at least questioning the integrity of the initial report by the oc reg. WOW! USASwimming may have screwed the pooch on this one...again. This Athlete Protection service that is now just recently turned Safety Sport elicits more skepticism amongst USASwimming's leadership. USASwimming needs a major overhaul...and it needs to be done NOW!
Tony - how is a no one on one policy enforced if the one on ones are happening at his apartment with her in her underwear on his bed?
It's not the catch all solution and it wouldn't have prevented this. Not with cell phones and text messages
Any system or protocol can be gamed. However, with the photo and such, there would have been a legitimate reason to accept his resignation rather than this nebulous "what-do-we-do-now" zone.
Wow. You really had me going. I thought this was a real life scenario. Then I read the anonymous witch hunt comment. This one, under the guise of concern for Dusenbury's character assassination, suggests Tippy and Brotherton have a relationship and Brotherton faked the DVD. That’s funny, but obviously a farce. She’d be the character we love to hate in a TV show.
So I see from your profile that you make your “living as a creative type in Lost Angelos.”
Is this a storyboard/market test for a TV script? It’s very clever. Outrageous; I believe most of it could happen. I’m uncomfortable with the underage girls, but there are likely underage relationships with coaches in all sports. Did you choose swimming to show actors with hot smoking bodies in wet swim suits every week? Clever. Bay Watch revisited.
I suspect there are parents willing to pimp out there children for a chance at Olympic glory, so I imagine you’ll include that.
The story line about the accused coach going to work at the children’s shelter needs a bit more work. I understand why you’d want that. The shelter can provide an endless supply of teenage girls who would be vulnerable to his “mentoring”. But you need to come up with a more realistic explanation about how the shelter allowed that while he was under investigation. The CEO at another agency checked it out gimmick is pretty cheesy; most won’t find that credible. Please don’t be offended; I think the realism is what will make this show compelling, so the explanation of how such a thing could happen needs to be realistic.
Overall, kudos to you or whoever made this up. Creepy, realistic, addresses some of the ills in society, with scantily clothes actors!
P.S. You should change some of the names so people understand its fiction. Unless it is real life. Then it's just creepy.
"vengeful ex-girlfriend"
It's so like the swimming community to criticize the messenger.
If the police did an investigation and discovered she "created" the documents, charges would be brought against her.
Perhaps you should take your criticisms up with the Orange County Register who printed the original story?
Wow, So obvious and I missed that. No joke or sarcasm herein.
That is what I get for rushing my posts, a schooling from a more intelligent reader.
> Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More Ad'm Dusenbury details:
> "vengeful ex-girlfriend"
> If the police did an investigation and discovered she "created" the documents, charges would be brought against her.
Maybe...just maybe, the pictures of the girl in her underwear are of when she was 18. In fact, the Oc reg never indicated specifically when the pictures were taken, they could've been taken when she was of age.
I agree with the no one-on-one policy and I would assume that as prestigious of a club Mission Viejo is, they wouldn't be messing around with this kind of business when their reputation is on the line. Again, I "assume."
And the whole age of consent argument...c'mon, it's 2012. I'm 10 years older than my wife, I coached her when she was in high school (soccer) and of course we got a lot of flack from family and friends when we started dating...when she was 19, but being married for 5 years and having 2 beautiful children: I don't regret anything. My family is my everything.
...for those of you that think 16 is a "minor"...think again. 30 states, including DC, recognizes 16 as a legitimate age of consent and most of them don't have age gap provisions.
OC Drama at it's best! The anonymous stated scenario of this turning into a movie of such I wouldn't be surprised.
Age of consent in the United States: 31 states (16), 8 states (17), 12 states (18).
In all states, dating, hugging, holding hands and kissing are not illegal.
USA swimming has "best practice" GUIDELINES regarding coach/athlete relationships. USA swimming cannot prevent individuals from having relationships.
In California the age of consent is 18-years-old.
It's not illegal to take steroids if prescribed by a doctor and Gambling is not illegal either but when sports are involved all of the above are illegal
Ultimately USA Swimming can make any rules it wants as long as they are not discriminatory. They can ban anyone they want as long it is not discriminatory.
I suspect USA Swimming is going to be forced to hire a professional investigator and then render a decision.
In California the age of consent is 18-years-old.
It's not illegal to take steroids if prescribed by a doctor and Gambling is not illegal either but when sports are involved all of the above are illegal
Ultimately USA Swimming can make any rules it wants as long as they are not discriminatory. They can ban anyone they want as long it is not discriminatory.
I suspect USA Swimming is going to be forced to hire a professional investigator and then render a decision.
The lack of concern by the other parents of the club baffles me. But here's an example of how poorly parents protect their children in gymnastics (from a CNN on-line article).
"He was acquitted by a jury in 1982 on child abuse and battery charges, after two young athletes in his Pasadena, California, gym accused him of wrongdoing.
The parents of two of the ex-gymnasts who are now alleging abuse by Boger helped finance his defense during that trial."
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/29/us/california-alleged-coach-abuse/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
WOW! it's like you were "reading my email" and posted this link.
Thank you posting it.
Get Chloe's pic off of this ! She has nothing to do with it! Its a huge team and she only swims for Rose.
Get Chloe's pic off of this ! She has nothing to do with it! Its a huge team and she only swims for Rose.
She was wearing a MVN cap when the photo was taken and she had just finished winning a race while swimming in the MVN pool.
I put Chloe's image on the post to resonate what quality swimmers that pool and club has produced. There was no other motive therein. I like that family as well.
Awesome! Thanks for all the clarification on the laws. I am a 52 year old coach and now that i understand i can date and kiss all i want, game on. I got a half dozen 12 year olds that cant take their mind off me. Funny how the younger ones don't care about age, they just see a leader that likes them.. i can use that to my advantage.
Again, Thanks
oooops, I meant the anonymous comment under Rourke JUMPER's that was creepy
Sugardaddy,
Sorry, but the twelve year olds are off limits - no dating, kissing etc. Yuck! that you would even think about it!!!
to quote anon,
"In all states, dating, hugging, holding hands and kissing are not illegal.
USA swimming has "best practice" GUIDELINES regarding coach/athlete relationships. USA swimming cannot prevent individuals from having relationships."
Sugar daddy,
There are different laws for under14 years of age, 14/15 years of age, and so on.
Check out CA penal codes
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displa scroll down to section 288.
Perhaps the parents of USA Swimming kids should set their own age of consent.
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