COLORADO COACH- WINTER 2018 Executive Director’s Message- ENOUGH ALREADY by John Burke The stories, true as they may be, are disgusting, disturbing, and confusing. Upperclassmen or more physical athletes harassing and bullying younger students, sexual assault being justified by labeling it ‘hazing,’ causing trauma and serious injury, these are the tip of the iceberg in the areas of disgust and disturbing. Using state education records and federal crime data the AP found 17,000 official reports of sex assaults by students in grades K-12 over a recent four year period. This is most likely a minimum number as many assaults continue to go unreported. Though high school teammate on teammate sexual assaults occurred most frequently in public high schools many of these assaults occurred in middle school as well. Boys made up the vast majority of aggressors and victims. The specific cases are shocking and include an Idaho high school player hospitalized after being sodomized with a coat hanger, a North Carolina teen suffered rectal injuries after being subjected to the same type of activity, this time with a broomstick. A Vermont athlete committed suicide after a similar incident and his parents place the blame on what the youngster had to endure from his ‘teammates.’ A Georgia baseball team playing in a tournament in South Carolina warned a number of freshmen players to “sleep with one eye open tonight” when the team enjoyed a pizza dinner. Later that night a number of upperclassmen lied to the front desk to get a key and entered the room of three freshmen and sexually assaulted them. Upon facing a disciplinary hearing the upperclassmen characterized the activity as ‘wrestling and horse play.’ In Arizona, one of the state’s top football schools, Hamilton High School, was in the news recently after four freshmen athletes were sexually assaulted in the football locker by upperclassmen in what has for many years considered a yearly initiation. Disturbing and disgusting only begin to describe these and many other incidents of similar nature. The confusing part of these practices is the obvious question: “Where are the coaches while this was going on?” Statistics indicate that in many cases the coaches not only knew of the ‘hazing’ and initiation practices but intentionally stood back in the shadows, justifying it as ‘boys being boys.’ The most alarming discovery was the continued practice of coaches and school officials burying the incidents once they found out or had been informed by parents or other adults. The type of behavior listed above in criminal in nature and school personnel have a legal and moral responsibility to report incidents like these to the proper authorities. Looking the other way? Burying the information and not contacting the authorities? A parent calls you and tells you his son was sexually attacked in the school locker room and you don’t call the police? In the aforementioned Hamilton High School incident, it was not just the coach who was negligent. The athletic director and principal were also informed of the situation and all three of these so-called leaders buried the information and never called the police, instead directed the entire team to “not talk to the “media.” If you are a coach, indeed an adult, in any of our schools, it is time for you to stand up and say ‘Enough is enough’ and do your part to put an end to these antiquated and ignorant practices. Watch carefully over your team,’ warn your teams,’ supervise at all times. If an inappropriate incident happens on your watch, report it right away to a lawful authority who will take action. Do not tell the AD or principal and figure your responsibility is taken care of. Stand up and be an example to our profession.