Dealing with scandal

Don’t pay the ransom! I escaped!  A late post today.

I have been asked about two scandals rocking two of my touchstone institutions – The Ohio State University and the Catholic Church.  The last “effective management” book I read advised to tackle easy tasks firsts.

So, The OSU scandal involving Urban Meyer.  I have not commented on this because as soon as you sound the BS alarm a tape drops making you look like a fool.  So from what I know:  There’s an assistant coach accused of spousal abuse.  Urban Meyer was made aware of the accusation.  Meyer reported the incident in accordance with university policy. Meyer lied to the press when asked about it at the Big 10 Media day saying he was unaware of the accusations. There’s a back and forth on whether or not Meyer was aware of an earlier incident and failed to take action.

That’s what I think I know.  So first off, is the assistant coach guilty?  Idunno.  He’s been fired, so I expect that there was sufficient cause for the firing. I read where the coach’s children have contradicted their mother’s account of the abuse, but there are text messages where the coach appears to admit to it.  Was due process given to the assistant?  Idunno.  He’s gone.  He hasn’t sued the university – yet – so as noted I expect there was sufficient cause for termination.

If Meyer knew about the abuse and reported it in accordance with university policy, what’s the fuss?  One article I read said that Meyer needed to do more.  What?  What about due process for the accused?  Follow the policy and let the system work.

With regard to earlier accusations against the assistant coach that went unreported, what was the policy then?  Was there a policy or was the unwritten policy – “handle it coach”?  If there was no policy and Meyer “handled it” the best way he could balancing the needs of the institution, the team, the coach and his spouse what’s he done wrong.  Error in judgement?  Raise your hand if you’re the second person in the history of man NOT to have made one. 

Lying to the press is not crime.  IN fact, I’d give a Meyer a bonus for it.  The OSU will not take kindly to that action.  Meyer has admitted his mistake and taken responsibility for it.  Fine.

In total with no new info, a four game suspension for Meyer and promise never eve to lie about anything publicly again seems adequate to me.  Sports creeps will want to ruin Meyer.  For what lying to the press?  That’s BS.  That’s extreme.  But haters gonna hate.

The biggest scandal in all of this so far, to me anyway, is that The OSU pays Meyer 7 million dollars to coach football.

The sticky never ending drip, drip, drip of scandal promoted by the media the Catholic Church finds itself in is a different matter.  With regard to the PA report, going back 70 years in order to accumulate the numbers 300 pedophile priest and 1,000s of victims seems a bit much to me.  Why not go back 160 years to get the number up to 500?

Sadly as percentage, the church has a problem that is less serious than the public schools and sexual abuse at home.  But the church’s scandal is the front page lede in every city. 

None of that, of course, is meant to absolve the church of its poor handling of outlier priests and bishops who misused the trust placed in them by the church and congregations.  In many ways the Catholic Church, with the exception of the current pope, Frankie the red, is the last bastion of the truth of natural law.  Its patriarchal structure infuriates those who wish to turn natural law on its head.  Therefore it has become the primary target for a world “slouching toward Gomorrah”. All the more reason to be squeaky clean.

So what to do.  On Jun 4, 1799 William Ward Burrows, the Commandant of the US Marine Corps wrote the following, “We caught a few days ago a corporal who deserted and have just finished giving him 200 lashes and have had his head shaved, but we will never end this evil  ‘til we can shoot one or two of them.” 

I had that posted in my office for years and still have the quote.  When SSgt O’Connor saw it he said, “You know, sir, if we could just shoot the worst Marine in the battery at Friday morning formation, by week two we’d be shooting a pretty damn good Marine.”  

From simple minds come simple solutions, but there is undeniable truth in it.  Until the church defrocks, excommunicates and jails these villains in very public ways they’ve got a problem. 

Here’s what this scandal means.  I was talking to a good priest about it. He said it’s terrible.  He was driving across town and saw a young boy walking in the pouring rain.  He wanted to pull over and offer the young man a ride, but he knew he couldn’t do it because he was alone.

My advice is to immediately open every church record with names of victims redacted until they express in writing that they want their names out there.  Get it all out in one fell swoop.  Purge the priesthood and leadership of the guilty and the complicit.  Draw a bright line and move forward. 

After the PA scandal there will be a report from Chicago, then LA, then Newark and on and on.  Get it all out at once and end the drip, drip, drip.