Daily Herald opinion: SafeSport shows the problems athletes can have reporting hazing and abuse
This editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.
Former Northwestern University assistant football coach Mike Hankwitz has defended former head coach Pat Fitzgerald and responded to allegations of hazing and racism by saying players had ample opportunity to report problems. On his list were a "year-round open-door policy" and regular meetings with coaches and other representatives of the school.
But his long list belies a common problem with reporting hazing or other abuse: the fear of retaliation, ostracism, embarrassment and loss of opportunity. And worse, the fear of not getting help anyway.
Enter the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which Congress created in 2017 to protect young athletes of all ages up to the Olympic level, in response to USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's sexual assault of scores of athletes. Athletes can anonymously report abuse, and SafeSport can investigate it and issue discipline.
As Nancy Armour reported last month for USA Today, 100 athletes, including all 23 members of the U.S. women's World Cup team and four members of last year's men's team, said in a letter to senators and members of Congress that SafeSport is "failing" and additional legislation is needed. They specifically fault the way SafeSport has exclusive jurisdiction to decide on some cases, particularly involving sexual misconduct, and too easily closes cases temporarily or permanently. And they criticize the appeals process that often lets the accused back on duty.
It happened with a notable Chicago case. SafeSport investigated Rory Dames, the former Chicago Red Stars (and, incidentally, St. Viator) coach implicated in a broad abuse scandal in the National Women's Soccer League. U.S. Soccer stripped Dames of his coaching license in January 2022 and reported him to SafeSport. As Armour reported in late May, SafeSport's investigation of Dames was still going on a year and a half later, and the agency lifted U.S. Soccer's suspension and modified the restrictions on him.
Part of the problem, to be sure, is SafeSport is overwhelmed with cases - 12,751 since it opened as noted in its 2022 annual report, and 150 new cases a week, its CEO told Armour. That's a sad justification for its existence. But more sad is more than a third of the cases were closed, with what it says was insufficient evidence or lack of victim participation (which is their option), and violations were found in only 13% of them.
SafeSport does offer good training and guidance on preventing hazing and abuse. It's used by youth programs here in the suburbs. But that an agency created by law specifically to allow athletes to report abuse and then resolve it is having such a difficult time shows that it's hard to blame athletes for not trusting authorities, and that there's a long way to go in getting them help.