UPDATED
In yet another blow to the long-cherished-yet-in-dire jeopardy concept of due process, a piece in Friday’s USA Today argues that Judge Brett Kavanaugh should now be prohibited from coaching girls basketball due to the sexual assault allegations against him.
Sports writer Erik Brady, whose civics knowledge apparently never expanded past a sixth-grade level, notes how in his Thursday testimony, Judge Kavanaugh noted “he might never coach girls’ basketball again” and then proclaims “he shouldn’t.”
“At least not until further investigation has concluded,” he adds. (The six previous Kavanaugh investigations must not have been very thorough.)
“The U.S. Senate may yet confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” Brady continues, “but he should stay off basketball courts for now when kids are around.”
This is because of “wholly sympathetic accuser” Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony.
Turns out, though, Kavanaugh is free to continue coaching in the Catholic Youth Organization and his daughters’ private school in Washington, according to Edward McFadden, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Washington. He said a coach accused of sexual misconduct would have to go through the full legal process and be convicted before being banned.
McFadden told USA TODAY Sports’ A.J. Perez on Friday that “adult volunteers with extensive contact with children” go through fingerprinting, criminal background checks and training under what is called the VIRTUS program.
“The person is VIRTUS-trained,” McFadden said of Kavanaugh, “and has gone through a background check, which was clean.” …
But should he? The U.S. Center for SafeSport was established in 2017 to investigate misconduct claims in the U.S. Olympic movement. It does not cover youth sports such as the CYO. But its policies are nevertheless instructive.
Dan Hill, a spokesperson for SafeSport, said a credible allegation of sexual abuse by a coach covered under SafeSport could well lead to an investigation, even where there are no formal charges brought by law enforcement. He said the burden of proof in such cases is the civil standard of more likely than not, rather than the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.
Brady concludes by saying “The nation is deeply divided. Sometimes it feels like we don’t agree on anything anymore. But credibly accused sex offenders should not coach youth basketball, girls or boys, without deeper investigation. Can’t we all agree on that?”
Isn’t that special. He wants to help heal the nation’s political divide by stating unequivocally that Ms. Ford is “wholly sympathetic,” and Judge Kavanaugh is a “credibly accused sex offender” who might, y’know, “take advantage” of his coaching position.
How “unifying.”
UPDATE: USA Today issued an “update” to Brady’s piece which scrubs some of his more offensive insinuations, including the conclusion. This post has been updated with links to a cached copy of Brady’s original article.
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