WARRIORMIKE
Pro-Staff Everything
I just ate a fortune cookie that had no fortune?? Not sure what that means.......
Another Coach Accused Of Improper Conduct.
- Thread starter Sparky Guy
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- Jul 29, 2016
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I think the focus on the microwave is interesting. The coach here is using it as his EXCUSE for repeatedly entering the girls' locker room. You've not condoned the behavior, but I think saying things like "Ever try to eat a frozen hot pocket?" strongly suggests that you don't really appreciate the gravitas of the situation.
Fair enough if you're operating under the assumption that the reported facts are incorrect. But according to the Kansas City Star article, the coach admitted to going into the locker room on multiple occasions. He admitted that he kissed players "in a fatherly way" and that he's telling vagina jokes. Not enough to throw the guy in jail, but no matter how he explains these things, they clearly demonstrate HORRIBLE judgment.
Furthermore, the school's identification of disciplined students by name clearly violates FRPA. We don't need a jury for that - its just a flat-out fact.
Maybe this isn't your style, but when you come here telling people "I've has my rear slapped thousands of times my males and females playing sports. I could've filled a prison back in the day" it makes you sound like an apologist for this coach. There's a huge difference between reminding people not to rush to judgment and making microwave jokes and suggesting that rear-slapping is okay.
I'm happy to admit at the end of the day that I don't have any idea whether this guy is a perverted peeper or just an astonishingly stupid guy. In either case, I've heard enough to conclude that I wouldn't want my daughter playing for him.
I don't "sound like" anything. If I mean it I'll say it. Also, I would never be an apologist for a creeper or an abuser. I can assure you with 100% certainty that I have done far more what you promote female Athletics and to work with female athletes than most could possibly dream of. Going on close to 25 years nonstop.
College players are adults and they talk like adults and they joke like adults. The stuff that I heard and dugouts when I would play what makes some people vomit. It's just a part of the game it happens.
I'll bet there's more to this story but again I'm withholding judgment because I know nothing about it and I'm not a person who speculates on anything. Reported facts well that's just a joke. Everyday reported facts are debunked
College players are adults and they talk like adults and they joke like adults. The stuff that I heard and dugouts when I would play what makes some people vomit. It's just a part of the game it happens.
I'll bet there's more to this story but again I'm withholding judgment because I know nothing about it and I'm not a person who speculates on anything. Reported facts well that's just a joke. Everyday reported facts are debunked
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Regarding the microwave is there any sort of report it states a player or players requested it to be removed? Why didn't they move it themselves if they thought it was going to be an issue. The story will come out
Yes I've had a male coach kiss me on the cheek a few times. That came along with being a very good player not that he was a gay pervert getting his rocks off
Yes I've had a male coach kiss me on the cheek a few times. That came along with being a very good player not that he was a gay pervert getting his rocks off
I guess you could call this the other side of the story.
https://info.umkc.edu/unews/softbal...l-harassment-leveled-against-assistant-coach/
https://info.umkc.edu/unews/softbal...l-harassment-leveled-against-assistant-coach/
Larry Nasser was a doctor, not a coach. Based on you bringing Nasser up are we to no longer see doctors the opposite gender of the patient?
So what about Lesbian coaches, shouldn't lesbian coaches be banned from the locker rooms of female athletes as well? What if the male coach is a gay, should gay male coaches be approved of going in to female locker rooms but banned from male locker rooms.
When I played football in college there were female trainers in the locker room all the time.
Let's meter the faux outrage and wait and see what is going on here before we lynch this dude.
For all we know he'd run through the shower, smacking the ladies on their butts and pouring soap on them while screaming "This is MAGA Country" and "Empire Sucks"
- Jul 29, 2016
- 231
- 43
I encourage you to read this excerpt very carefully. This sentiment is dangerous. It is excusing inappropriate conduct. As we saw in the Corey Myers case, an adult player isn't really on equal footing with an assistant coach. Sure they're adults, but there is a reason why the NCAA prohibits relationships between coaches and players - even if they are both adults.
It is NOT part of the game. It should NOT happen.
Sam Danley, Cierra Howe
Three former softball players went to university officials last May accusing Assistant Coach Greg Bachkora of sexual harassment. Now, current players are claiming they had multiple conversations with their former teammates about finding ways to get the coaching staff fired long before that complaint was ever filed.
In the wake of an explosive Kansas City Star report, current players are coming forward claiming first-hand knowledge of specific incidents mentioned in both the original Title IX complaint and the Star’s article.
Five current players told U-News their conversations about getting the coaches fired stemmed from their anger over the team’s losing streak last spring and their shared frustration over the amount of playing time they received, not from any of their coaches’ conduct.
“I had conversations with these girls where we said we would do anything to get those coaches fired,” one current player said. “I regret it and admit it was a mistake.”
The allegations quickly sparked a public back-and-forth between current and former team members over the Star’s report and the contents of the Title IX report.
Former players who spoke to the Star criticized the school for failing to properly discipline Bachkora after they filed their complaint.
Two days after the Star published its report, 25 current and former players penned an open letter to the UMKC community defending their assistant coach and refuting many of the sexual harassment claims. They say the Star’s original report was exaggerated and taken out of context.
After U-News published the letter Wednesday morning, the Star reported that the former players are standing by their accusations. In the article, the former players told the Star current members pressured them to recant their statements after UMKC announced Backhora is taking a temporary leave of absence.
Current players tell a different story, claiming two former players reached out to them first. When they expressed regret over the accusations and the article, one current player said she offered to let the women sign their open letter. U-News obtained screenshots of text messages between current and former players that corroborated these claims.
Disciplinary action taken against players in March
Many of the current players who spoke to U-News alluded to an incident that occured last March, when six players were suspended for taking high school recruits to an off-campus party.
According to a summary of the disciplinary action emailed to the Star by UMKC officials, three of those players are the ones who complained about Bachkora’s behavior to the school and later to the Star.
Assistant Softball Coach Greg Bachkora (UMKC Athletics)
Not long after this incident, one of the three players informed Head Coach Meredith Neal she would be leaving UMKC. A few weeks later, Neal informed the other two players that the school would not be renewing their scholarship for “resistance to disciplinary actions” and “a lack of remorse.”
According to the document, the other three players “cooperated fully with the disciplinary actions and were reinstated.”
According to one current player who was on the team last spring, the women repeatedly expressed to her their desire to “get back at the coaches” after being dismissed.
While the team was away at a conference tournament last spring, she said the three former players told her they spoke to Carla Wilson, the school’s Athletic Director at the time.
“They said the coaches are going to come home to a ‘nasty surprise,’” the player said. “Then they went on to say they talked to Carla and were going to get them fired.”
The Star reported that by sharing this document, UMKC might have violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prevents schools from sharing certain information about students. The Star also reported that releasing this document could potentially constitute retribution against the former players for filing a complaint against Bachkora.
The former players told the Star they did not file the complaint because they were disciplined, and that they had formed a “friend pact” to complain to the school about Bachkora’s conduct before they were suspended.
The Star said these players and their parents think the school is trying to discredit them. One parent said the girls only felt the strength to complain after they knew they would not be returning.
UMKC officials said the school never wanted this to go public, “But once the newspaper had part of the story and sought comments and information from us, we thought it was in the best interest of all concerned for our response to address the situation in its broader context.”
UMKC officials also said they disagree that they violated FERPA by providing the Star with the document.
Players say accusations don’t add up
The allegations of sexual harassment consist of three separate claims.
The first is that Bachkora once joked about female genitalia.
According to the redacted Title IX report published by the Star alongside its original article, Bachkora admitted to making the joke to an opposing team’s coach during a game.
“Bachkora stated that the player was attempting to field a ground ball when it hit her in the vaginal area,” wrote former Title IX Coordinator Mikah Thompson in the report.
Standing near the opposing team’s coach, Bachkora said “something to the effect of ‘that’s one way to catch the ball.’”
Thompson informed Bachkora that players had overheard the joke and included it in the allegations of sexual harassment they brought against him.
Junior Faith Willis told U-News she was the one who was struck by the ball while on third base during a scrimmage match
Three former softball players went to university officials last May accusing Assistant Coach Greg Bachkora of sexual harassment. Now, current players are claiming they had multiple conversations with their former teammates about finding ways to get the coaching staff fired long before that complaint was ever filed.
In the wake of an explosive Kansas City Star report, current players are coming forward claiming first-hand knowledge of specific incidents mentioned in both the original Title IX complaint and the Star’s article.
Five current players told U-News their conversations about getting the coaches fired stemmed from their anger over the team’s losing streak last spring and their shared frustration over the amount of playing time they received, not from any of their coaches’ conduct.
“I had conversations with these girls where we said we would do anything to get those coaches fired,” one current player said. “I regret it and admit it was a mistake.”
The allegations quickly sparked a public back-and-forth between current and former team members over the Star’s report and the contents of the Title IX report.
Former players who spoke to the Star criticized the school for failing to properly discipline Bachkora after they filed their complaint.
Two days after the Star published its report, 25 current and former players penned an open letter to the UMKC community defending their assistant coach and refuting many of the sexual harassment claims. They say the Star’s original report was exaggerated and taken out of context.
After U-News published the letter Wednesday morning, the Star reported that the former players are standing by their accusations. In the article, the former players told the Star current members pressured them to recant their statements after UMKC announced Backhora is taking a temporary leave of absence.
Current players tell a different story, claiming two former players reached out to them first. When they expressed regret over the accusations and the article, one current player said she offered to let the women sign their open letter. U-News obtained screenshots of text messages between current and former players that corroborated these claims.
Disciplinary action taken against players in March
Many of the current players who spoke to U-News alluded to an incident that occured last March, when six players were suspended for taking high school recruits to an off-campus party.
According to a summary of the disciplinary action emailed to the Star by UMKC officials, three of those players are the ones who complained about Bachkora’s behavior to the school and later to the Star.
Assistant Softball Coach Greg Bachkora (UMKC Athletics)
Not long after this incident, one of the three players informed Head Coach Meredith Neal she would be leaving UMKC. A few weeks later, Neal informed the other two players that the school would not be renewing their scholarship for “resistance to disciplinary actions” and “a lack of remorse.”
According to the document, the other three players “cooperated fully with the disciplinary actions and were reinstated.”
According to one current player who was on the team last spring, the women repeatedly expressed to her their desire to “get back at the coaches” after being dismissed.
While the team was away at a conference tournament last spring, she said the three former players told her they spoke to Carla Wilson, the school’s Athletic Director at the time.
“They said the coaches are going to come home to a ‘nasty surprise,’” the player said. “Then they went on to say they talked to Carla and were going to get them fired.”
The Star reported that by sharing this document, UMKC might have violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prevents schools from sharing certain information about students. The Star also reported that releasing this document could potentially constitute retribution against the former players for filing a complaint against Bachkora.
The former players told the Star they did not file the complaint because they were disciplined, and that they had formed a “friend pact” to complain to the school about Bachkora’s conduct before they were suspended.
The Star said these players and their parents think the school is trying to discredit them. One parent said the girls only felt the strength to complain after they knew they would not be returning.
UMKC officials said the school never wanted this to go public, “But once the newspaper had part of the story and sought comments and information from us, we thought it was in the best interest of all concerned for our response to address the situation in its broader context.”
UMKC officials also said they disagree that they violated FERPA by providing the Star with the document.
Players say accusations don’t add up
The allegations of sexual harassment consist of three separate claims.
The first is that Bachkora once joked about female genitalia.
According to the redacted Title IX report published by the Star alongside its original article, Bachkora admitted to making the joke to an opposing team’s coach during a game.
“Bachkora stated that the player was attempting to field a ground ball when it hit her in the vaginal area,” wrote former Title IX Coordinator Mikah Thompson in the report.
Standing near the opposing team’s coach, Bachkora said “something to the effect of ‘that’s one way to catch the ball.’”
Thompson informed Bachkora that players had overheard the joke and included it in the allegations of sexual harassment they brought against him.
Junior Faith Willis told U-News she was the one who was struck by the ball while on third base during a scrimmage match
The ball took one bounce and then hit me right in the vagina,” said Willis. “It hurt so bad, I fell to the ground. I was literally face on the ground, not moving, not saying anything, just lying there in the most pain I’ve ever been in in my life.”
She said Bachkora ran up to her to see if she was OK. Because she wasn’t saying anything, the coach thought she might have been seriously injured.
“He kept asking me, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK? Where did it hit you?’” said Willis. “Then I just blurted out, ‘It hit me in the vagina, Coach. It hit me right there in the vagina.’”
She said the whole team laughed, and that’s when Bachkora made the joke included in the allegations.
“I never felt I was harassed,” said Willis. “If anything, that was a moment when I knew the coach cared about me. It was not a sexual thing at all. The word ‘vagina’ itself is not a sexual thing.”
The second claim is that Bachkora would kiss players on the forehead and cheek.
In his meeting with Thompson, Bachkora admitted to doing so in a “fatherly, nonsexual manner.”
According to the Title IX report, Bachkora “recalled a specific incident where he kissed a player on her forehead. Bachkora stated that the player was leaving the university and that he kissed her forehead as he was saying goodbye to her.”
Thompson’s report does not mention any other instances of Bachkora kissing players.
‘There’s no way anyone could just barge in unannounced’
The third claim—that Bachkora consistently entered the locker room unannounced—has caused the biggest stir. The father of a former player told the Star players would often have to scramble to cover themselves when the coach entered the locker room.
Many current and former players argue this version of events is not accurate.
According to the Title IX report, Bachkora admitted to entering the locker room, though he and 25 current and former players—six of whom were on the team when the complaints were filed—said he has always followed established protocol by announcing himself before going in.
Bachkora said he entered the locker room to use a microwave and access equipment.
The Star reported that some players said Bachkora’s announcements only came after he had already entered the locker room.
The Star reported that, “Another player, new to the UMKC team last year, said an older player told her Bachkora’s visits were so frequent that he ‘has seen me naked more than my boyfriend has.’”
U-News spoke to the older player who made the original comment. According to her, this second-hand quote was taken out of context.
The player told U-News that the comment was made as a joke in reference to the head coach, not Bachkora. She said she made the joke because her boyfriend lives out of state and they do not see each other very often, not because Bachkora frequently saw her naked.
“This was a complete joke made to my female coach,” the player said. “The person who said that quote, me, has never spoken to the Star. It’s absurd.”
Players said it’s partial truths like this that prompted them to speak out.
The university said they did not encourage the softball players to write the open letter, and that UMKC policy is “not to interfere with with the free speech rights of students or faculty.” Players told U-News the decision to publicly defend Bachkora was theirs alone.
Willis said the accusations don’t make sense because the entire coaching staff used the microwave in the locker room, including one other male coach.
“Why aren’t they complaining about that?” Willis asked.
While they all said they love their coach, that’s not the only reason they jumped to his defense.
They said their reason for going public is that many of the allegations simply don’t add up based on their knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the specific accusations made in the original complaints and the Star’s first article.
In their open letter to the campus community, current and former players said it is impossible to enter the locker room unannounced because of “the dimensions of the room.”
According to senior and fourth-year softball player Maegan Rollow, players can always hear when someone is approaching the locker room changing area.
“There’s no way anyone could just barge in unannounced. The keypad on the door is loud, so you can hear when someone is typing in the code,” said Rollow. “The boys’ soccer room is next to us, and they’re always blasting music, so when the door opens, you can hear the music in our locker room.”
She said Bachkora ran up to her to see if she was OK. Because she wasn’t saying anything, the coach thought she might have been seriously injured.
“He kept asking me, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK? Where did it hit you?’” said Willis. “Then I just blurted out, ‘It hit me in the vagina, Coach. It hit me right there in the vagina.’”
She said the whole team laughed, and that’s when Bachkora made the joke included in the allegations.
“I never felt I was harassed,” said Willis. “If anything, that was a moment when I knew the coach cared about me. It was not a sexual thing at all. The word ‘vagina’ itself is not a sexual thing.”
The second claim is that Bachkora would kiss players on the forehead and cheek.
In his meeting with Thompson, Bachkora admitted to doing so in a “fatherly, nonsexual manner.”
According to the Title IX report, Bachkora “recalled a specific incident where he kissed a player on her forehead. Bachkora stated that the player was leaving the university and that he kissed her forehead as he was saying goodbye to her.”
Thompson’s report does not mention any other instances of Bachkora kissing players.
‘There’s no way anyone could just barge in unannounced’
The third claim—that Bachkora consistently entered the locker room unannounced—has caused the biggest stir. The father of a former player told the Star players would often have to scramble to cover themselves when the coach entered the locker room.
Many current and former players argue this version of events is not accurate.
According to the Title IX report, Bachkora admitted to entering the locker room, though he and 25 current and former players—six of whom were on the team when the complaints were filed—said he has always followed established protocol by announcing himself before going in.
Bachkora said he entered the locker room to use a microwave and access equipment.
The Star reported that some players said Bachkora’s announcements only came after he had already entered the locker room.
The Star reported that, “Another player, new to the UMKC team last year, said an older player told her Bachkora’s visits were so frequent that he ‘has seen me naked more than my boyfriend has.’”
U-News spoke to the older player who made the original comment. According to her, this second-hand quote was taken out of context.
The player told U-News that the comment was made as a joke in reference to the head coach, not Bachkora. She said she made the joke because her boyfriend lives out of state and they do not see each other very often, not because Bachkora frequently saw her naked.
“This was a complete joke made to my female coach,” the player said. “The person who said that quote, me, has never spoken to the Star. It’s absurd.”
Players said it’s partial truths like this that prompted them to speak out.
The university said they did not encourage the softball players to write the open letter, and that UMKC policy is “not to interfere with with the free speech rights of students or faculty.” Players told U-News the decision to publicly defend Bachkora was theirs alone.
Willis said the accusations don’t make sense because the entire coaching staff used the microwave in the locker room, including one other male coach.
“Why aren’t they complaining about that?” Willis asked.
While they all said they love their coach, that’s not the only reason they jumped to his defense.
They said their reason for going public is that many of the allegations simply don’t add up based on their knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the specific accusations made in the original complaints and the Star’s first article.
In their open letter to the campus community, current and former players said it is impossible to enter the locker room unannounced because of “the dimensions of the room.”
According to senior and fourth-year softball player Maegan Rollow, players can always hear when someone is approaching the locker room changing area.
“There’s no way anyone could just barge in unannounced. The keypad on the door is loud, so you can hear when someone is typing in the code,” said Rollow. “The boys’ soccer room is next to us, and they’re always blasting music, so when the door opens, you can hear the music in our locker room.”
Quit whining and using bold fonts to prove your point. You're confusing a coach player personal relationship to jokes. Clearly you've never played any athletics beyond 10u. Adults cuss, trash talk, joke about mother's, races, sexual orientation. . . . It all happens
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