Frankly, I am stunned. If the allegations are true, I feel personally let down. See, there’s the whole issue of lesbianism and women’s sports. We know there are lesbians in women’s sports, and it shouldn’t matter. And for the most part, it doesn’t. But then we have allegations like this against a high profile coach at one of the highest profile basketball schools. Suddenly all the Rene Portlands of the world have fuel for their anti-lesbian fires.
I don’t know Pokey Chatman’s sexual orientation. What I do know is that if the allegations are true, what she did was just plain wrong. It would be just as shocking and offensive if the allegations were against a male coach. But because so few of the lesbian coaches in basketball are “out,” people have the opportunity to make this a “lesbian problem.” Which it is not.
It is an issue of a person in a position of power taking advantage of someone who is vulnerable. It is about abuse of power and perhaps sexual abuse. But look out. I’m afraid of where the rightwing media and bloggers are going to take this. I’m afraid of the potential for lesbian-baiting in the NCAA. I’m afraid parents will not send their children to a college with a lesbian coach. I’m afraid this will keep all the other lesbian coaches in the closet, when what would probably help the most right now is if they all came out. Then we could see how many lesbians are out there winning games, running great basketball programs, being great role models in their communities and NOT having inappropriate relationships with their players.
Well said Kathy, this is disturbing indeed. I am also interested in the potential backlash that may result from this, and in my mind the question will always exist: If Chatman was a man, in a relationship with a female player, would the situation (backlash) be the same?
Wow! With so few details available, it is shocking to think that Pokey is in this scandal and has abruptly resigned. She is such an amazing coach. But Kathy is right, inappropriate conduct must not be tolerated in our schools, whether the perpetrator os male or female. It puts the student athletes in a terrible position if there is any sexual conduct between adult authority figures and the students. That is precisely why most universities have stringent rules against faculty/student relationships. And the backlash may follow, but may not. Let’s not prime the media for a harsh inspection of all our beloved lesbian NCAA coaches. Hold your heads up, ladies. The more fans that support the sport and the lesbians in it, the better. I’m an out supporter… join me???
Mistjust, I think the backlash would be just as bad if the coach and player were of different genders. I live in a fairly progressive area, and a student/teacher relationship between different genders (regardless of the gender of the teacher) raises the appropriate furor. At the end of the day, it is still about the abuse-of-power issue.
I am a high school girls basketball coach–it makes me soo mad that Pokey could’ve possibly did this.It’s hard enough out there being out as I am,successfull and having the media who’ll jump all over this and surely make this a lesbian issue–it was soely an abuse of power.It is not right for ANY coach male or female to sleep with his or her players.
I’m speechless, i hope it’s not true. Pokey was a hell of a coach. LSU basketball is going to miss her.
If it was a former player it was inappropriate. If it was an active player LSU should have fired her and openly stated the reason.
It is important that there be a distinction between sexual orientation and sexual misconduct.
This also raises the issue,once again, of the closeted lesbian, and lesbians in college basketball. It is time to admit, that there are a lot of lesbians invoved in the sport–and let everyone be open about it. If, in fact Pokey is lesbian-oriente (as I am virtually positive about) if she had been able to be more open about it is seems likely this sort of thing would not have to be confined to the close basketball family.
~Becky
I totally agree that if she did in fact have a relationship with a current player that this was inappropriate and even if she had a relationship with a former player, this should and would still be considered unethical by many ethical codes and is an abuse of power. The United States Olympic Committee advices coaches to be removed from the coaching relationship for several years before engaging in any form of relationship with the athlete as does many other professions such as psychology etc. So yes, inappropriate indeed.
My point though, is that there may have been many other situations where male coaches had relationships with current or former players but we don’t hear about them because the “old boys network” of athletics would “take care” or sweep the issue under the rug. In this case it seems as though an assistant coach may have brought it to light, and the Athletic Directors comments though limited were not at all supportive of Pokey.
Furthermore, when I played in college sports, our softball team’s coach was married to one of his former players that he met while coaching her several years earlier. I can recall many examples of just this situation in my involvement in athletics as well as my work in the athletics administration world. So my question is, would the same fuss be made if 1) this wasn’t a lesbian relationship? 2) if this wasn’t women’s basketball, a sport that is already notoriously involved in negative recruiting practices, or 3) if this wasn’t a high profile coach?
Just my two cents
This is not a lesbian issue. Roughly five years ago, the heterosexual men’s basketball coach at the University of Texas at El Paso was forced to resign after having an affair with a heterosexual women’s basketball player–he even got her pregnant. This is an issue of professionalism.
I think this whole situation totally sucks! I really feel for Pokey Chatman right now. We don’t know whether or not she is guilty of this inappropriate relationship, but people from both sides are pouncing on her! She is a great coach, and I hope she will get through this. I really feel like there are too few details coming out right now to judge… No one knows who this player was or even if the alleged relationship took place while the former player was at LSU. And what I really don’t understand is why the assistant coach picked now to tell someone…either she should have told right away or if the alleged relationship was over then why didn’t she wait till after the season?? There are way too many un answered questions right now…
I agree with the person who was pointing out the instantaneous rush to judgement against Pokey Chatman. We don’t really know much at all about the situation. Today, I read an article that stated that no one had come forward to say they had been “victimized.” And for all we know, Pokey may have had a relationship with someone who had been a player at some point in the past.
So, where do we draw the line? Can coaches have relationships with former players in one year? Two years after the player graduates? Three years after the player graduates and has dated someone else for a year first? I know it sounds ludacris, but, having been involved with teaching at the college level for some time, I assure you some of the policies look just as ridiculous in the faculty manual.
Attempts to regulate morality, sexual preference, and ethical opinion are rarely successful; especially when they are administered with threats or guilt.
WTF! Wait for all the details!! ” If the allegations are true, I feel personally let down” – what if they’re not true? Or what if they’re twisted? How will you personally feel then? Unless you’re actually involved, you don’t know the truth. Let’s hold off on passing judgement until we know the facts. Whatever happened until innocent until proven guilty?