Why Doesn't This End Coach K's career? (and Does it blow back on Wojo?)

[keefe]

... as Reagan said, "trust, but verify."

[mu03eng]

1.  Nothing filed either with Duke or the Durham authorities.
2.  Rumors are nothing but rumors.
3.  K reached his own personal tipping point dismissed the player.
4.  Duke lacrosse.

This doesn't bring K down.   It doesn't trickle down to Wojo.

I tend to agree with you, but it really will depend on the media reaction.  They are tempered by the Duke Lacrosse issue but if they think there is smoke here, they'll dig and it could snowball.  Not saying it will or should happen but the next two days in the media will be interesting to watch.

[Dawson Rental]

When I was a young man stopping by my parent's house, I noticed a letter from Ollie sent to my Dad seeking contributions for his legal defense fund.  On the outside of the envelope was a short message from Ollie which said; "Only God knows how badly I need it..."

[tower912]

I tend to agree with you, but it really will depend on the media reaction.  They are tempered by the Duke Lacrosse issue but if they think there is smoke here, they'll dig and it could snowball.  Not saying it will or should happen but the next two days in the media will be interesting to watch.

Because there were no OFFICIAL complaints filed.   Because K ultimately dismissed the player BEFORE any of this became generally known, K will come out of this OK.     And his defense will be that he would never get rid of a kid because of a rumor.   (And he shouldn't).   

[mu03eng]

Because there were no OFFICIAL complaints filed. 

Careful with that, there weren't any at PSU either.  I agree he shouldn't dismiss for rumors, but Title IX requires a coach to report any knowledge of a potential sexual assault to the proper authorities.  Even rumors count as part of that reporting requirement.

[Golden Avalanche]

Seriously Heisenberg, you need something more to do to fill your days.

This.

A clown starting a foolish thread thanks to the product on the floor having dispirited all of us. By all accounts, Wojo had the MU job sewn up on March 30th. Says the Sulaimon allegations were first reported in March 2014. Which day, though? Could have been the 29th and Wojo was out the next day. This gets nowhere near Wojo (doesn't even affect K) and to suggest or intimate otherwise is plainly dumb.

[dgies9156]

In the absolute worse case scenario where Wojo is implicated and MU is dragged into this, MU better be prepared to cut bait.  On the heels of a couple allegations just a few years prior, it turns out that MU hired another coach who had a history of covering his eyes and ears (or worse), that would be Hiroshima.  If I were MU, I would be hiring a PI to start doing its own digging immediately... as Reagan said, "trust, but verify."

My thought about this story goes back to the Hillbilly and articles about our athletes and athletic department on Page 1 of the Chicago Tribune. Part of the undoing of the relationship between Marquette and the Hillbilly was related to this same type of thing and it would be tragic if we had a rerun.

If we do, cue the nuclear explosion.

If we actually have a problem, I would think the result would not be Hiroshima but instead Bikini Atoll, those hydrogen bomb tests in the 1950s where there was nothing left.

That said, I have extremely serious doubts Coach Wojo was part of this. Everything I have seen and heard about Coach Wojo is that he is an honorable man who would never tolerate shenanigans from his ballplayers. We are Marquette means something, as the Hillbilly found out.

[wadesworld]

**yawn**

(That is in regards to this having anything close to do with MU basketball or Wojo, not sexual assault or anything of that nature.)

[GooooMarquette]

Careful with that, there weren't any at PSU either.  I agree he shouldn't dismiss for rumors, but Title IX requires a coach to report any knowledge of a potential sexual assault to the proper authorities.  Even rumors count as part of that reporting requirement.

But here it looks like plenty of higher ups DID know.  In the PoPa case, things seemed to be more quiet.

I'd also note a distinction that I haven't seem mentioned:  The Penn State victims were minors - far more susceptible to intimidation, and far less likely to know what options they had to report.  This case involved two (presumably 18+) students who could and did come forward, presumably knew about the option to file a formal report, but chose not to.  I understand that Title IX still imposes obligations on the school to look into it, but that isn't K's obligation once he knew others were aware.

The only thing that would get K fired IMHO is if he interfered with Duke's title IX office investigation.

[mu03eng]

But here it looks like plenty of higher ups DID know.  In the PoPa case, things seemed to be more quiet.

AD, VP for police, school president, etc were all informed at PSU of the 2004 allegation.

I'd also note a distinction that I haven't seem mentioned:  The Penn State victims were minors - far more susceptible to intimidation, and far less likely to know what options they had to report.  This case involved two (presumably 18+) students who could and did come forward, presumably knew about the option to file a formal report, but chose not to.  I understand that Title IX still imposes obligations on the school to look into it, but that isn't K's obligation once he knew others were aware.

The only thing that would get K fired IMHO is if he interfered with Duke's title IX office investigation.

Doesn't matter the status of the victims.  As an example, they've never found the victim Mike McQuerry testified about that he witnessed in 2004.  Doesn't mean it shouldn't be reported.  If you are an employee and you see, know about, or should know about an assault you have to report it, regardless of age.  Both Title IX and The Clery Act require coach K to report if he knew what the article indicates he did.

If he reported, he should be ok, it's on the administration, if he didn't, that's an issue

[jsglow]

So if I'm reading the story correctly, two separate students took the occasion of a retreat some period of time after an alleged assault to claim a prior attack for the first time.  It was quite possibly the second accusation that got folks squarely focused on the issue and started a chain of disclosures and events involving Coach K and others beginning in March 2014.  Neither accuser chose to pursue the matter internally via the Office of Student Affairs or the local police.  And Duke seemingly undertook an investigation that ultimately resulted in the player's dismissal roughly 9 months later.

And somehow folks think that this has the potential to be Hiroshima for Marquette?  Really?  What if Wojo did learn of this in his last two weeks on Duke's campus?  Assuming his boss and the entire university hierarchy became aware at roughly the same time, how does Wojo have any responsibility to act whatsoever?  Quite the contrary.  His job is to cooperate with any investigation and keep his mouth shut for the benefit and privacy of all parties.  Now if Coach K or anyone impeded anything or even helped to establish a culture where coming forward was discouraged, that's a problem for them.  But I see very little chance of that becoming a problem for Wojo unless some huge pattern over a number of years is demonstrated.
    

[GooooMarquette]

Doesn't matter the status of the victims.  As an example, they've never found the victim Mike McQuerry testified about that he witnessed in 2004.  Doesn't mean it shouldn't be reported.  If you are an employee and you see, know about, or should know about an assault you have to report it, regardless of age.  Both Title IX and The Clery Act require coach K to report if he knew what the article indicates he did.

If he reported, he should be ok, it's on the administration, if he didn't, that's an issue

Are the reporting obligations and legal consequences for sexual assault is the same regardless of whether the victim is an adult or a minor?  I don't know NC law specifically, but that would be surprising.  

[Tugg Speedman]

ESPN Version of this story ...

Interesting that the title on the home page says

Duke quiet on Sulaimon assault accusations

And then when you click on the link, it says ....


Report: Sulaimon accused of assaults
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12408702/duke-blue-devils-mike-krzyzewski-refuse-comment-rasheed-sulaimon-sexual-assault-allegations
Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and the university on Monday declined specific comments on a report that Rasheed Sulaimon, who was dismissed from the team in January, was alleged to have sexually assaulted two women during the 2013-14 academic year.

Krzyzewski dismissed Sulaimon from the team on Jan. 29, saying the junior guard "repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations." Sulaimon is the first player ever dismissed from Duke's team.

According to the report, published Monday in the Duke Chronicle, the student newspaper, Sulaimon was accused of sexual assault by two different women, who told others of the incidents but did not file complaints with Duke's Office of Student Conduct or the Durham Police Department.

Sources told the Chronicle that officials in the athletic department, including Krzyzewski, knew about the allegations as early as March 2014 -- 10 months before Sulaimon was dropped from the team.

On Monday, Krzyzewski, participating in an ACC coaches' conference call, was asked whether he was aware of the report and whether he thought he handled it the right way. In all instances, Krzyzewski responded: "I don't have any comment on that."

The university also cited student confidentiality law in a statement issued Monday.

"Duke is prohibited by law from disclosing publicly any particular student's confidential education records," the statement said. "The university takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code, which includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office for review in a timely manner as required by law. Duke also takes every possible action internally to ensure anyone who raises a complaint of sexual misconduct is supported and the campus community is safe."

Sources close to the two women told the Chronicle the women did not pursue school or legal action against Sulaimon because they feared reprisal from Duke's fan base.

Neither accuser would discuss the allegations with the newspaper.

Attempts to reach Sulaimon were unsuccessful. A lawyer claiming to represent Sulaimon told the Chronicle he believed the allegations to be false.

Sulaimon is still a student in good academic standing at Duke, according to the newspaper.

The first allegation came in October 2013, according to the newspaper. A female student told a large group at a student-led diversity retreat called Common Ground that Sulaimon sexually assaulted her, according to three participants in the retreat. In February 2014, at a second Common Ground retreat, a second female student said she had been sexually assaulted by Sulaimon, four participants told the Chronicle.

A source, described as a former affiliate of Duke's basketball program during Sulaimon's playing days, became aware of the allegation in Fall 2013, and spoke to the accuser. The same person spoke to the second accuser after becoming aware of her allegations in 2014.

The source said the allegations were brought to the attention of a team psychologist in March 2014, and later that month were brought to Krzyzewski and assistants Jeff Capel, John Scheyer and Nate James, and other athletic department officials, including Kevin White, the vice president and director of athletics, and Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of students.

"Nothing happened after months and months of talking," the source told the Chronicle.

Sulaimon averaged 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 20 games for Duke this season, all of them in a reserve role. He was a starter during his freshman year in 2012-13, averaging 11.6 points per game.

[Tugg Speedman]

Washington Post story below

Above someone said this story is totally dependent on the media.  If they decide it is a big deal, it is a big deal.  If they decide to ignore it, it goes away.

Given this note the headline, they are implying some sort of cover-up.  This suggests they are going to make this a big deal.

------

Duke reportedly had known of sexual assault allegations against Rasheed Sulaimon since March 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/03/02/duke-reportedly-knew-of-sexual-assault-allegations-against-rasheed-sulaimon-since-march-2014/

Appearing on the ACC coaches’ teleconference, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski refused to comment on the situation after being asked repeatedly about it.

@ikhurshudyan  Coach K on Sulaimon sexual assault allegations: "I don't have any comment about that."
10:32 AM - 2 Mar 2015

@GoodmanESPN That's now four separate "No Comments" from Mike Krzyzewski on the ACC conference call regarding the Rasheed Sulaimon allegations. 10:40 AM - 2 Mar 2015

@BrianHamiltonSI  One last try by a radio guy to Coach K - “Why the silence?” - followed by a "Why would I change? I have no comment. That’s it.” #Duke  10:40 AM - 2 Mar 2015



On Jan. 29, Rasheed Sulaimon became the first player ever dismissed from the Duke men’s basketball team under Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with the NCAA’s all-time victories leader saying the junior guard “repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations.”

But according to a report from the Duke Chronicle, Sulaimon was alleged to have committed sexual assault by two separate women during the 2013-14 academic year. Both women told others of the incidents, but neither filed a complaint with Duke’s Office of Student Conduct or the Durham Police Department. However, sources told the Chronicle that members of Duke’s athletic department — including Krzyzewski — were aware of the allegations as early as March 2014, approximately 10 months before Sulaimon was dismissed from the team.

Here’s the Chronicle with more:

    Separate allegations of sexual assault by Sulaimon came from two female students in the 2013-14 academic year. Both students voiced allegations publicly, but neither filed a complaint through the Office of Student Conduct or took legal action through the Durham Police Department. The students declined to discuss their allegations with The Chronicle.

    In October 2013, a female student said in a large group session at the student-led diversity retreat Common Ground that Sulaimon had sexually assaulted her, three retreat participants said. At the following semester’s Common Ground retreat beginning in February 2014, a second female student said she had been sexually assaulted by Sulaimon, according to four retreat participants.

    Common Ground is a four-day retreat in which students discuss identity—including issues involving race, socioeconomic status, gender and sexuality—through interaction with other participants, discussion groups and personal narratives. The retreat is held once each semester, with 56 participants selected from a student applicant pool.

    A former affiliate of the Duke basketball program, who was with the team throughout the majority of Sulaimon’s basketball career, became aware of the allegations made at the Fall 2013 Common Ground. The anonymous affiliate began speaking to the female student in January 2014, and began speaking to the second female student in March 2014 after learning of her allegations.

    The allegations were brought to the attention of a team psychologist in March 2014, the anonymous affiliate said. That month, the allegations were brought to Krzyzewski and assistant coaches Jon Scheyer and Nate James and associate head coach Jeff Capel.

    The anonymous affiliate said other athletic administrators were then made aware of the allegations. Among the administrators identified by the anonymous affiliate were Mike Cragg, deputy director of athletics and operations; Director of Basketball Operations David Bradley; and Kevin White, vice president and director of athletics. The allegations were also brought to the attention of Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of students, according to the anonymous affiliate.

    “Nothing happened after months and months of talking about [the sexual assault allegations],” the anonymous affiliate said. “The University administration knew. Kevin White knew, Mike Cragg knew.”

Sources close to the two women told the Chronicle that they did not pursue school or legal action against Sulaimon because they feared reprisal from Duke’s fan base. A lawyer claiming to represent Sulaimon told the Chronicle that he believed the allegations to be false. Sulaimon is still a student in good academic standing at Duke, the Chronicle reports.

According to the Chronicle, most Duke employees must report a sexual assault allegation if they become aware of one. Plus, federal Title IX rules state that the school must investigate any sexual assault allegations, even if the student doesn’t file a complaint.

Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, issued the following statement to the Chronicle after its report was published:

    “Duke takes immediate action when a student reports allegations of sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code,” the statement read. “This includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office as appropriate. The University is prohibited by federal law from disclosing information about any individual student or the student judicial process.”

    Schoenfeld said the University had no further comment on the matter.

Sulaimon averaged 7.5 points and 2 rebounds in 20 games for Duke this season, all of them in a reserve role. He was a starter during his freshman year in 2012-13, averaging 11.6 points per game, but his production and his usage declined in his two subsequent seasons with the team.
After spending the first 17 years of his Post career writing and editing, Matt and the printed paper had an amicable divorce in 2014. He's now blogging and editing for the Early Lead and the Post's other Web-based products.

[mu03eng]

Are the reporting obligations and legal consequences for sexual assault is the same regardless of whether the victim is an adult or a minor?  I don't know NC law specifically, but that would be surprising.  

There is no distinction made, any sexual assault on an person regardless of all the usual descriptors including age is to be reported per Title IX and Clery Act.

If Coach K was informed, passed it along to the appropriate reporting authority, and then did nothing further to hinder the investigation, then he should be totally in the clear.  It's the media angle that gives me even mild pause for the possibility of a different outcome.  How, if at all, does the media drive this in a negative way.

[🏀]

Everyone is missing the largest point in this story.

THIS IS THE PROBLEM:

“Lincoln - this is Mike Cragg from the basketball program. I would like to talk with you this afternoon on your convo with Laura Ann. In person would be great. Nothing long - just want to clean up the end of your desire to work here. And let you know some steps that Laura Ann would not know based on the info you provided her. Thanks.”

[ChicosBailBonds]

Has Karla F.C. Holloway, a professor of English and African-American Studies, weighed in yet?  How about Wahneema Lubiano?


Group of 88 had no problem back in the day to try, convict, hang a certain team at Duke that happened to be mostly caucasian....just sayin

[mu03eng]

Everyone is missing the largest point in this story.

THIS IS THE PROBLEM:

“Lincoln - this is Mike Cragg from the basketball program. I would like to talk with you this afternoon on your convo with Laura Ann. In person would be great. Nothing long - just want to clean up the end of your desire to work here. And let you know some steps that Laura Ann would not know based on the info you provided her. Thanks.”

Read the context again....Lincoln quit, he wasn't fired.  Mike Cragg contacted him to council him on the manner in which he quit.

[tower912]

Has Karla F.C. Holloway, a professor of English and African-American Studies, weighed in yet?  How about Wahneema Lubiano?


Group of 88 had no problem back in the day to try, convict, hang a certain team at Duke that happened to be mostly caucasian....just sayin

There are a lot of ways to say that Duke may be approaching this with utmost caution after the lacrosse incident.   This is one of the dumbest.    And it is posts like this that lead to accusations of racism being leveled at you.  

[🏀]

Read the context again....Lincoln quit, he wasn't fired.  Mike Cragg contacted him to council him on the manner in which he quit.

Yep, not as bad then.

[Tugg Speedman]

Report: Duke Coaches, Administrators Ignored Sexual Assault Allegations
http://deadspin.com/report-duke-coaches-administrators-ignored-sexual-ass-1688875007
Deadspin
March 2, 2015

 Duke junior Rasheed Sulaimon was dismissed from the men's basketball team on Jan. 29, 2015, with no official explanation given. According to a report published today by the Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper, Sulaimon was dismissed more than a year after he was accused of sexually assaulting two female students. The Chronicle also reports that high-ranking members of the university's athletic department were aware of the allegations as early as March 2014, and violated federal law by failing to report them.

The Chronicle reports that the allegations against Sulaimon were made on two separate occasions at a student retreat called Common Ground, which is held once each semester, and cites multiple witnesses at each retreat.

    Separate allegations of sexual assault by Sulaimon came from two female students in the 2013-14 academic year. Both students voiced allegations publicly, but neither filed a complaint through the Office of Student Conduct or took legal action through the Durham Police Department. The students declined to discuss their allegations with The Chronicle.

    In October 2013, a female student said in a large group session at the student-led diversity retreat Common Ground that Sulaimon had sexually assaulted her, three retreat participants said. At the following semester's Common Ground retreat beginning in February 2014, a second female student said she had been sexually assaulted by Sulaimon, according to four retreat participants.

Neither student filed a police report or an official complaint with the university, but the Chronicle reports that word of the alleged assaults still reached people in the athletic department, including the head coach.

    The allegations were brought to the attention of a team psychologist in March 2014, the anonymous affiliate said. That month, the allegations were brought to Krzyzewski and assistant coaches Jon Scheyer and Nate James and associate head coach Jeff Capel

    The anonymous affiliate said other athletic administrators were then made aware of the allegations. Among the administrators identified by the anonymous affiliate were Mike Cragg, deputy director of athletics and operations; Director of Basketball Operations David Bradley; and Kevin White, vice president and director of athletics. The allegations were also brought to the attention of Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of students, according to the anonymous affiliate.

    "Nothing happened after months and months of talking about [the sexual assault allegations]," the anonymous affiliate said. "The University administration knew. Kevin White knew, Mike Cragg knew."

Title IX laws require almost all university employees to report any sexual assault allegations they have knowledge of to a supervisor, campus police, or the Student Conduct office, even if no official complaint has been lodged. In this case, the two students who claimed to have been assaulted by Sulaimon had painfully familiar reasoning for choosing not to formally file complaints.

The fear of backlash from the Duke fan base was a factor in the female students' decision not to pursue the allegations, sources close to the women said.

[Tugg Speedman]

I'm posting these stories so you can get an idea of how the press is reporting it.  My takeaway is they see a cover-up and potential violations.

It just beginning, not ending.

Question, if Duke knew about this for some time.  Why did Sulaiman play (12 minutes) the evening of January 29 and then was summarily dismissed 12 hours later on January 30?  Obviously he was still in good standing on the 29th, and not 12 hours later.

So what changed?  Could it have been (and I'm speculating here) Duke found out the student paper was getting ready to blow the lid on the story and they had to get of him ASAP?

Duke Potentially Violated Title IX Code With (Non) Treatment Of Sulaiman
http://acc.sportswar.com/article/2015/03/02/duke-potentially-violated-title-ix-code-with-non-treatment-of-sulaiman/

Why the Duke Basketball Sexual-Assault Story Won't Go Away Quickly
http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2015/03/duke-sexual-assault-sulaimon-coach-k

[MU82]

Has Karla F.C. Holloway, a professor of English and African-American Studies, weighed in yet?  How about Wahneema Lubiano?


Group of 88 had no problem back in the day to try, convict, hang a certain team at Duke that happened to be mostly caucasian....just sayin

Like you, I hope we Caucasians -- especially those of us who also are male -- can overcome all the biases against us in this nation of ours.

[Cooby Snacks]

Like you, I hope we Caucasians -- especially those of us who also are male -- can overcome all the biases against us in this nation of ours.

Hahahaha perfect.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6bcs8ln_9Q&feature=youtu.be&t=1m21s

EDIT: Crap, forgot how to embed videos. Anyways, here is the link.