DETROIT – In the aftermath of the shocking allegations of child molestation at Penn State University, parents around the country are taking a closer look at the coaches that they send their young children to play for. Coaches are also taking a long look at how they go about what they do as they look to have a positive impact on the lives of kids.
“Football is a religion in my house,” said Maria Stanfield of Farmington Hills, Mich. “I use the game of football as a carrot to get him to comply with my request. My son did not go to dinner with me (on Sunday) night. He chose to stay home and watch the Lions game.”
Stanfield’s son has played Pop Warner football for the Farmington Rockets for the last five years. She said that she and her husband have a great relationship with the team’s coaches as well as the league’s president, but she knows there are limitations.
“My son would never spend the night away with a coach,” Stanfield said. “When my children go away, either I or my husband goes along with them. Our league does not have those practices of the coaches traveling alone with the children.”
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Jerry Sandusky, the man who is facing 40 counts of child molestation, is accused of using his charitable organization, The Second Mile, to prey on young boys. He would often have sleepovers with the boys, as well as take showers with them — something that he admitted to NBC’s Bob Costas on Rock Center last night.
“I could say that I have done some of those things,” Sandusky told Costas in his first interview since the grand jury testimony was released. “I have horsed around with kids, I have showered after work outs. I have hugged them; I have touched their leg. If you look at it that way, there are things that would be accurate.”
The uncomfortable interview added a voice to the allegations. Sandusky infamously struggled to answer the question of whether he was sexually attracted to young boys, taking an estimated 16 seconds to finally say no.
“My son will never take a trip overnight without me and I must admit it had made me wary of older men who coach,” said Wesley Scott of Detroit, whose son plays basketball and participates in martial arts. “I was already active but now I will really keep a closer eye.”
There are, however, coaches who do make a difference in children’s lives. In the city of Detroit, organizations such as the Police Athletic League (PAL), the Detroit Public School League, as well as churches have sports programs that stress positive message and are not looking to take liberties with the children. The outlying suburbs also have city-run recreational leagues, school leagues, church leagues, and independent sports leagues that offer opportunities to kids. The vetting process, in many cases, is incredibly stringent.
“You’re vetted like you’re running for office,” said Demetrus Stokes, a youth basketball coach from Detroit. “They check everything. Our league does a good job to make sure the coaches are good citizens. I have the ball rolling on my own youth organization and I’ll be looking to install some of these same practices.”
Stokes, a father of two, coaches for an organization in nearby Redford. His long-term goal of starting his own youth organization will start with continuing to gain the trust of parents and other coaches, which the Penn State scandal has shed a brighter light upon.
“I’ll interview prospective coaches, parents, or adults who want to be involved,” he said. “I pretty much spend two, sometimes three, days a week with the kids for practice, games, etc. Outside of that we have a couple league-sanctioned events — skating parties and such — where coaches serve as chaperones. Most of our time spent is in the gym working.
“My son is a player, he has befriended some his teammates, and a lot go to his school so I do see some of things outside of playing ball. I have a great relationship with my parents and try to be as transparent as possible. I answer any and all questions they may have.”
The reaction to this story has been swift around the country. At Wayne State University, President Allan Gilmour sent out an e-mail to all 40,000 students and staff, listing the phone numbers for anyone who has “witnessed or been the victim of a questionable incident.”
WSU spokesman Michael Wright said that the e-mail was “an opportunity to tell the campus they have options and they should think about that and take action.”
The Big Ten announced on Monday that they were removing former coach Joe Paterno’s name from the Big Ten’s Championship trophy. The shock echoed across the country and especially the Big Ten.
“It sickens me for the victims,” said Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo. “I think one of somebody said to me last week, and I agreed, that certain things affect a program, scandals of any kind, in basketball or football. Some other things are big enough to affect the athletic department.
“Then there are some things — to be honest with you, I haven’t seen anything (like this) before — that affect, maybe, the status of the university. I think this is one that has affected the status of the university.”
For those who are parents, this has given way to a very long hard look at who they entrust their children to. Coaches know that they are under that microscope as well as there is an obvious question of what is too far.
“Even if you don’t have a child, you have at least been a child,” Stanfield said. “You know how vulnerable children are. This is inexcusable. He violated those children’s trust in adults, organized sports, and people in general.”
