Wednesday, September 19, 2012

ESPN: USA Swimming bans Rick Curl for life


A solid review on the aftermath of the Rick Curl banning featuring great quotes and explanations:

From ESPN:

"... Susan Woesner: "I want to thank you for your courage in coming forward and speaking out," Woessner wrote. "Your willingness to share your story is now holding Rick accountable after all these years. Thank you, Kelley. I have endless gratitude. .."

"... From Keelley Davies Currin: "We had horrible counsel. We were given terrible legal advice," she said. "I absolutely, positively wish I could have a redo. I think there needs to be a law that for a child who's abused, there's no option. It's a criminal case. It's got to be reported. To settle out of court should never be an option. ..." 
[Link]

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thoughts on this Tony? Ready to ease up on Berkoff yet?

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/USA/32033.asp

Tony Austin said...

Oh look chum in comments section - I'll bite; YUM! ;-)

My first reaction was astonishment! Here is a guy who took a 14-word-sentence and repeated it 50-times in 50 different ways so as to fill up an article: "Don't blame me, I am a nice guy, did not know who to tell."

My second reaction, why does he keep playing the "nice guy card?"

My third reaction was , Should I take all those emails he wrote filled with bravado and promises and along with his "manifesto" shove it into his face?

Look at the timing!

When USA Swimming declared Rick Curl unfit to coach as a USA swimming participant this could have been the governing bodies finest hour. Instead they were shouted down by two middle-aged ladies who via Associated Press, The Washington Post, ESPN, and even Court News.

Consequently USA Swimming management looked slow, ineffectual and worst of all questionable.

I have so much more to say on how they could avoided this fiasco if about three executives would have fallen on their swords like true warriors and let Woesner and a new mangement team bring a new sense of credibility to the NGB.

Now, anything Woesnaer says or does is skewed and doubted because of her superior, Chuck Wielgus, making a jackass of himself on 20/20 and keeping a report of sexual abuse "between you and me" in that infamous email.

This would never have tolerated at any college or sports organization but this guy won't do the right thing and leave.

quote me!



Anonymous said...

Tony,

I know that when I was in college, if I had heard some rumor like this, I wouldn't have reported it to anyone.

Remember, things were a LOT different decades ago.

Can you honestly say YOU would have reported an incident like this, where you didn't know the parties involved personally, 30 years ago? Would you have even known who to report it to? I wouldn't have.


Tony Austin said...

I agree with you. But on July 26 2010 he wasn't in college anymore and he still knew this guy was coaching. A couple months later he was voted onto the board of Directors.

Where was he then?

Anonymous said...

Well, it sounds like he was helping make changes. A lot has been done since that time. I think he's been great for the sport and I hope he sticks with it! Dave, if you read this, thank you for all you've done for the sport of swimming. Your passion for the sport and making changes is appreciated!... Though clearly not by tony. Oh well.