I know we’ve still got a little ways left before the calendar flips to January, but I’m going to go ahead and cast my ballot for news story of the year for the sexual harassment purge of 2017.
Certainly there have been plenty of other big news items making headlines over the past 11 months – Kim Jong-un’s ballistics obsession, pending federal tax overhauls, and all things Trump – but the dizzying amount of allegations of sexual misconduct against well-known individuals, as well as lesser-known folks of prominence at marquee organizations, have not only toppled many notable careers, but they’ve also served as a mirror casting a stomach-churning reflection back on our society.
I’ll admit, and this is likely one of the surest signs of the inherent safety that comes with simply being a dude, I have been shocked. Shocked at both the sheer number of allegations and the names of those who’ve come under fire. I mean, Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer? And Mr. Prairie Home Companion himself, Garrison Keillor, too?
I would’ve never guessed. Which, again, is a testament to the fact that I live in a cocoon of sorts when it comes to this matter. I mentioned that revelation to my wife earlier this week, and all she did was nod in a “well, I’m glad you’re starting to get it” kind of way.
David MartinAs queasy as this continues to make us, I consider it a welcome trend that I hope lasts as long as necessary – a reckoning that continues to be so loud that it forces society to grapple with it instead of ignoring it. Only by doing that can we recalibrate appropriately in a sustained and meaningful way.
But for now, there seems to be no safe quarter for alleged sexual perpetrators – the glaring outlier here being politics, of course – which brings me to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and their debacle of a search for a new head football coach.
At the time of this writing, UT still hasn’t secured a replacement for the recently fired Butch Jones. If you’ve followed the search, you know it could best be described as incompetent. It’s truly amazing how such highly paid administrators can bungle something so badly.
And it all started on Sunday when UT’s athletics director and chancellor thought it a good idea to offer the university system’s most visible job to a candidate whose name was recently tied to the darkest chapter in college sports history: the Jerry Sandusky child rape scandal at Penn State.
Long story short, years after Sandusky’s conviction, deposition documents revealed that while an assistant coach at Penn State, the almost-hired-by-UT Greg Schiano allegedly knew that Jerry Sandusky was abusing boys. It turns out that the allegation against Schiano wasn’t deemed credible enough for legal authorities to pursue, but these days allegations carry tremendous weight.
Given that reality, it’s mind-boggling that UT administrators would overlook headlines like this one from The Washington Post: “Greg Schiano, Tom Bradley knew of Jerry Sandusky abuse at Penn State, documents show.”
Had Schiano been hired, which very nearly happened, you better believe that headline would have become synonymous with Tennessee football, as well as the entire university system – a reality lost on an athletic director and chancellor.
Thankfully it wasn’t lost on the Tennessee fan base, which staged a social media revolt successful enough to force the university to renege on an offer to Schiano, now coaching at Ohio State.
Detractors have said Tennessee fans are unhinged, but it seems they’re more in-tune with the news story of the year than anyone else associated with the university.
Contact David Allen Martin at davidallenmartin423@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DMart423.