Football enthusiasts need to back off!
Twice recently, sports enthusiasts have publicly made a bizarre claim - that those of us who talk about known or suspected sex crimes are really trying to influence football games.
That's right. Victims, advocates and law enforcement officials and others supposedly have a "hidden agenda." It's not to help the wounded. It's not to protect the vulnerable. It's not to expose the truth.
It's to help some teams beat other teams.
One such claim comes from Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett. His new lawsuit, which seeks to overturn every penalty levied by the NCAA against Penn State, says “The NCAA…engaged in an effort to cripple Penn State’s ability to maintain a nationally renowned football.”
Really?
A similar claim comes from neighboring Ohio, where Steubenville High School coach Nate Hubbard described the rape of a teenager as “just an excuse, I think ...What else are you going to tell your parents when you come home drunk like that and after a night like that?”
Adding insult to injury, Hubbard then said that people are using the rape and “trying to blow up our football program because of it."
Really?
(The coach is evidently a gifted psychologist or psychiatrist. First, he figures out the victim’s motives. Then, he discerns the motives of the hundreds or thousands of those critical of the rapists and their enablers in Steubenville.)
Football fans, like most sports fans, like fair fights. But impugning the motives of others is anything but fair. So let’s cut the foul behavior and language and assumptions. Let’s stop the silly – and hurtful - belief that those who care about victims of athletes and coaches are somehow really rooting for the opposing teams.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment
After reading about this case, we cannot help but see some parallels between this situation and that which occurred at Penn State. Although the crimes are different, it is a fact of both cases that in each there is a definite mystique around the football program and a cult of personality surrounding the coach (Paterno at PSU, and Reno Saccoccia in Steubenville). In both cases, the love of football has prevented the proper investigation into the alleged rape and the punishment of those involved.
We call on the school board to suspend Coach Saccoccia for his behavior. The fact that he has refused to take any real disciplinary steps towards the football players that either witnessed or in some way abetted the alleged rape is disturbing, and his treatment of the New York Times journalist who spoke to him about the case is frightening. His actions are indicative of someone who cares more about their win-loss record than about the young people they are supposed to be improving.
We also urge the school board to examine the actions of Superintendent Michael McVey and Principal Shawn Crosier. We are disappointed that they left all disciplinary decisions up to Coach Saccoccia, and the fact that they failed to follow up with any of the students in attendance at the party where the alleged rape occurred is distressing. This sad case has all the tell tale signs of an attempted cover-up, and our hearts ache for the victim in this case who has been subjected to undue scrutiny and blame. We hope that the added attention on Steubenville High School will result in justice for the victim, repercussions for the alleged rapists, and accountability for Steubenville officials.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, [email protected]