Background checks are needed for Travelball coaches

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marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
1I would be 99% sure. Because of the organization they have played in big national championships. PGF and USA require background checks and I would bet USSSA WFC does as well.

Yeah, they require what is in effect a $20 employment background check. You can run backgrounds that go way, way deeper. But it is a matter of cost versus results.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
A LONG time ago I played AAU basketball for this guy:

After practice he would make us shower, whether we wanted to or not, so he could shower with us.
We would all shower in one corner, including Chris Herren (may have seen him on ESPN of late documenting his struggles with addiction), while Tavares would be in the other. We knew he was a pervert so we kind of all stuck together..not smart but we were 13 or 14 so we thought we could handle it ourselves.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
There are different levels of background checks. I use them all the time in my work. Some are a half-page long, and some detail every single interaction with the court system (guilty or not), credit ratings, insurance claims, known affiliations, relatives, etc.. I've seen background checks as long as 50 pages. I'm not convinced the "a background check wouldn't have helped."

Also, while I agree that the parents need to be diligent, I am a bit concerned that we seem to be dismissing this horrible event with an admonishment of the parents. Its easy to Monday-morning quarterback this and suggest that they dropped the ball somehow, but if we're giving the organization the benefit of the doubt, let's do the same for the parents.

These predators are very good at what they do. Usually when they're found out, everyone who knows them is shocked. When I think about my DD's coaches, there are a couple I would not have thought twice about entrusting her with. Of course, their own kids were always around too, and often other teammates. But I don't feel great about condemning the parenting of victims. Some make poor decisions for sure, but we can't minimize how good the predators are at fooling people.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
Background checks are fine and good and can weed out some known bad seeds. That said I have a USA background check done annually which seems to clear in under 15 minutes so I'm not sure how deep a background check is done. Of course I have a very uncommon last name so that may be part of it. I mean it's not like my name is Smith or Jones.

I have to say there are far to many of these stories. What is wrong with people?
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Just wanted to point one thing out about this story. While the predator was apparently a softball coach (from people who knew him) we don't necessarily know that the girl who came forward is a player. Unless the OP has direct knowledge of who it was and that she is. So his only way of getting to this girl may have been as a driving instructor. Perhaps that's what he does for a living or as a side job.

That aside, it can happen anywhere, even at the highest levels as we've seen recently. These predators are very good at identifying the kids they can abuse, and grooming them to make it seem normal or acceptable. It's just like a con man. Anyone who acts like a con man probably isn't going to be too successful. They have to seem normal and trustworthy. Always beware.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
One more thing to watch is communications. When girls get older, it seems many coaches like to move to a 'communicate directly with the player' mentality. While this makes sense on some level -- the older player SHOULD be responsible for their own career, asking about playing time, knowing when practice is, not counting on their parents to fight their 'battles' for them, etc -- I think a good best practice is to include a parent (or all parents, ie, team messages) in all electronic communications, ie texting and email. There are group texting apps, some general and some specific to softball, that make this easier. Even a girl running late to practice can text the group vs. a single coach -- it gets the message around faster anyway. I implemented this as a coach; as a parent I'd demand it.

I'm curious what others think on this topic. I think it's critical.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
Just wanted to point one thing out about this story. While the predator was apparently a softball coach (from people who knew him) we don't necessarily know that the girl who came forward is a player. Unless the OP has direct knowledge of who it was and that she is. So his only way of getting to this girl may have been as a driving instructor. Perhaps that's what he does for a living or as a side job.

That aside, it can happen anywhere, even at the highest levels as we've seen recently. These predators are very good at identifying the kids they can abuse, and grooming them to make it seem normal or acceptable. It's just like a con man. Anyone who acts like a con man probably isn't going to be too successful. They have to seem normal and trustworthy. Always beware.

Does it matter? The girl was underage and likely in the same range as the girls he was coaching softball. Just because the opportunity seems to have presented itself when he was acting as driving instructor doesn't make it any better that he was a softball coach with access to 10-14 other girls to potentially abuse.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
We only have 1 kid so DD was pretty much in one of our sights all the time. Families trying to get a bunch of thier kids at different practices you can see where it could be an Issue.

Not ideal but I have been left alone with both boys and girls both before and after practice.

Sounds creepy but maybe video it?
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
So just a little info. I work in the sports Registration/background check provider, industry. (I won't mention the company to not advertise on here. ) But there are several levels of BG checks. One is city wide, one is county wide, and then there is a national check. They have different cost levels associated with them. Because of the increase in price most leagues will only do a county wide check. The check is really a CYA for the league more than it is to prevent actions. Like others have said, someone with no criminal history is going to come back clean.
Parenting, parenting, and more Parenting.
 

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