The Swamp

howard wrote:Extortionists rarely hire a lawyer to write and deliver the extortion demand.

Steve of phpBB wrote:

howard wrote:Extortionists rarely hire a lawyer to write and deliver the extortion demand.

You'd be surprised.

Sixteen years ago, members of the University of Tennessee women's volleyball team gathered for a last meeting with their head coach, Julie Hermann. In gym shorts or jeans, some piled onto a black leather couch. Others sat on the floor, cross-legged, almost breathless.

Many of them remember Hermann standing over them, as she had at hundreds of practices and matches. For several minutes, as the players recall, she said nothing.

The players say everyone, including the athletic director, had been brought together by a letter all 15 players on the team had submitted. In it, the players said, their coach had ruled through humiliation, fear and emotional abuse.

"The mental cruelty that we as a team have suffered is unbearable," the players wrote. Specifically, they said the coach had called them "whores, alcoholics and learning disabled."

In blunt terms, the players wrote, "It has been unanimously decided that this is an irreconcilable issue."

Hermann, the players say, absorbed the words, turned to her team, and said simply: "I choose not to coach you guys."

At that, say the players, she turned and left the room. Her coaching days were over, and many players say they never saw her again, though she briefly moved into athletic administration on the Knoxville campus.

Then, 11 days ago, Hermann, assistant to the Louisville athletic director for 16 years, was introduced as the new athletic director for Rutgers.

This, this story about student athletes ... it’s the first I've ever heard of it. I never heard of a letter. My understanding is my boss never heard of a letter. And I was never told – I’ve never been – I’ve never heard former student athletes make these accusations.

rass wrote:Jay Bilas stirring up trouble with the NCAA.

AB_skin_test wrote:

rass wrote:Jay Bilas stirring up trouble with the NCAA.

Oh noes! The ncaa is hypocritical!

rass wrote:

AB_skin_test wrote:

rass wrote:Jay Bilas stirring up trouble with the NCAA.

Oh noes! The ncaa is hypocritical!

Yeah, it is a bit of a "duh" story, though the scramble to remove the search feature from the various interfaces was humorous.

Scottie wrote: Here's another question. Do you think Manziel is making a statement to the NCAA? Or is he just one of thousands of guys who played NCAA football and ignored (or didn't comprehend) their rules? Or just didn't (somehow) think he'd get caught?

Moving forward, the NCAA online shop will no longer offer college and university merchandise. In the coming days, the store’s website will be shut down temporarily and reopen in a few weeks as a marketplace for NCAA championship merchandise only. After becoming aware of issues with the site, we determined the core function of the NCAA.com fan shop should not be to offer merchandise licensed by our member schools.

A statement released earlier Wednesday by the accuser's family through her attorney, Patricia Carroll of Tampa, said Tallahassee police warned the accuser not to pursue the case, saying Det. Scott Angulo told Carroll, "Tallahassee was a big football town and the victim needs to think long and hard before proceeding against him because she will be raked over the coals and her life will be made miserable."

howard wrote:I'm peripherally following this. What the police officer said sounds like honest, good advice. I'll wait for someone to counter the truth of that statement.

howard wrote:Sorry AB, I amended my above post, post hoc, post your post.