NYTimes: "Of All the Track Coaches to Bring Aboard"

wejo wrote:

Thanks, Lauren! wrote:

This commentary would never have appeared if Lauren Fleshman hadn't written about the scandal on her blog.

Forget about Lauren, I want to take credit for it being in the Times:)

Another writer from a major newspaper wrote me to thank me for the article. I told him my job was only half done, that the story needed to be picked up by others. Pleasant surprise to see it in Times. I told Jill Geer, silence isn't productive for Max Siegel here. He made a mistake, just admit it and move on.

It's also amateur hour that the head USATF coach of a world team doesn't have to talk to the media. The NBA, MLB, etc require players and coaches to address the media. It should be mandatory for track and field as well.

USATF offered to let me talk to Duffy Mahoney. My one mistake was not realizing Dennis was the women's sprint coach as well as the men's. I would have asked the women's 4x100 team about him. The men's team bombed out of both relays and didn't talk to the media so I couldn't ask them.

wineturtle wrote:

When did this LF twitter post happen?

First I heard of Mitchell getting the coaches position was the morning of April 16th. The fact he had a doping ban was mentioned by MJR on the T&F board in the early AM. David Greenburg posted about it here on Lets Run calling for a twitter attack on the evening of April 27th.

wejo wrote:

Forget about Lauren, I want to take credit for it being in the Times:)

Another writer from a major newspaper wrote me to thank me for the article. I told him my job was only half done, that the story needed to be picked up by others. Pleasant surprise to see it in Times. I told Jill Geer, silence isn't productive for Max Siegel here. He made a mistake, just admit it and move on.

It's also amateur hour that the head USATF coach of a world team doesn't have to talk to the media. The NBA, MLB, etc require players and coaches to address the media. It should be mandatory for track and field as well.

USATF offered to let me talk to Duffy Mahoney. My one mistake was not realizing Dennis was the women's sprint coach as well as the men's. I would have asked the women's 4x100 team about him. The men's team bombed out of both relays and didn't talk to the media so I couldn't ask them.

agip wrote:

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Credit for expressing her outrage to her fans (most of whom are of the Runner's World set) on an issue that had already been written about on this site (as she notes at the top of her post) the previous day?

As others have pointed out on other threads. The issues with USATF need to be addressed from within.

I don't believe that more negative media attention is a good thing for track.

as far as I know, Leer and Fleshman are the only ones brave enough to criticize usatf for its embrace of dopers.

just imagine if Leer, Flesmhman, Simmons, Rupp, Ritz, price, Lolo, Meb, Lagat, Hall and J Simpson had a press conference at USAs this year and said that USATF's coddling of dopers is not representative of the sport they love - that would be the most perfectly awesome day ever. They would take heat, but jayzus it would be the best thing ever.

Instead, we have Fleshman in public, Leer in private...and a lot of silence. Kind of shameful when you think about it.

Evil Genius wrote:

Two thoughts:

1. Max Siegel is working the long con (google it, but avoid references to "Lost"). He could care less about the sport but sees how much ca$h usatf pays out in severance and NDA money (plus doug logan's cool million) so why not push the envelope to the point the board is forced to fire him for big cash payout. Fool was low rent marketing consultant with few clients so this is f-ing gravy.

2. Stephanie Hightower is waiting in the wings for something. Dennis Mitchell either has major dirt on SH or she is trying to bring about #1 above as a ploy to "save the sport" after the major cratering after she took office. It used to be about John Chaplin getting a few grand and a biz class ticket to some college's big relay carnival in exchange for a free trip to some IAAF event (no charge for golf clubs if checked as your first bag). Now the price is silence for Stephanie (her own past issues), Sandra Farmer (guilt is on the books already ), JD and others. What does Dennis know?