One would hope that the university appoints a credible INDEPENDENT investigator to investigate the university's role in all of this. Unfortunately, it's a small university. It doesn't have unlimited resources. It doesn't have a billion dollar endowment and it's not connected to the government, so resources for this type of investigation are probably extremely tight.
They just raised 56.6 million dollars in August. Seems like they have a good chunk of change in their pockets right now. That being said, no chance HU themselves hire a third party investigator team to look into it.
I said it before and I'll say it again, the charges and accusations brought against Nick, Lauren, Curtis, and the School are no joke. Due to the nature of the accusations, there essentially HAS to be some type of third party involved. Wether that's the NAIA, the local police force, or possibly something else, your guess is as good as mine.
In my opinion it seems like the school knows they are in deep trouble and are choosing to go down with the ship. If I had to guess, I think their plan is to "quietly" release Lauren and Curtis, then hopefully settle the lawsuit in court with as little publicity as possible.
So it’s been 6 days now since the lawsuit was filed. Lauren and Curtis are still coaching the team. Organized practices are still happening. The foresters twitter account has not deleted that tweet from last night, so it’s safe to assume it was intentional. No statement has been provided by the school.
Is this really happening? I’m genuinely shocked. HU’s JV team is set to race at Bethel tomorrow. As other have said, if I’m a school at that meet and I see HU athletes jump off the bus, my team is not racing.
The usual protocol for this type of event is for universities to suspend the accused staff with pay [generally immediately] pending an investigation. Protection of students-athletes is the university's paramount concern, right? The allegations in this situation are significantly more egregious than those that would generally warrant immediate action.
100% agree with you, but the coaches also held practice yesterday and ran with the team (this was confirmed to me in addition to Curtis's Strava post). That doesn't sound at all like the university is protecting the students.
As a current coach of a team who sees Huntington on the track in the spring, this is an extremely difficult situation to handle. I believe it is on the hosting school to not allow HU to attend. Maybe that would mean it would take all the coaches who are attending to voice their opinion on that. I don’t think I would stop my team from racing through, if HU did show up. This would punish my team and limit the opportunity for them to compete in a sport where there are already limited opportunities for competition. I will definitely push for my school to not attend any meet hosted by Huntington for as long as I’m coaching though. Bethel is in a tough place right now but I think it’s on them to take the first step towards disrupting the business as usual strategy HU has been taking.
Another note is the NAIA XC national rankings come out today so we will see if there has been any action on their end. (Doubtful)
Respectfully, bethel isn’t in a tough spot. Tell Lauren Johnson that her team isn’t welcome and if they show up they will not be allowed to race. Very easy decision
I agree with you, I hope that is what happens. I hope Mr Natali does. It just seems insane that this would be the FIRST point of action by anyone in power towards HU. That’s really what a mean by it puts them in a tough spot. They shouldn’t have to be the ones initiating the punishment. The team activities should have been suspended as soon as that IndyStar article was released on Wednesday.
If you read my post again, I said they should do just that. I said it’s on them to not allow HU to compete. Not sure where you came to the conclusion you did. My post was about continuing to allow my athletes to race at that meet IF Huntington showed up but that Bethel should not allow them to.
The former athletes say they suffered harassment, bullying and assault by teammates. They said coaches dismissed their complaints and failed to report certain allegations as required by federal law.
The dean of students’ investigation ultimately determined that Sincukovs broke in “with the intent to engage in sexual activity” with the woman, UA documents show. He was found responsible for four violations, including off-campus conduct, endangering/threatening/causing harm, stalking/unwanted contact and discriminatory activities. He was expelled from the UA and then unsuccessfully appealed the decision. On March 6, a UA panel upheld a November decision by the dean of students office to expel Sincukovs for multiple code of conduct and Title IX violations. Title IX is a federal law that guarantees all students have access to an education free from discrimination, of which sexual harassment and abuse is considered.
If you read my post again, I said they should do just that. I said it’s on them to not allow HU to compete. Not sure where you came to the conclusion you did. My post was about continuing to allow my athletes to race at that meet IF Huntington showed up but that Bethel should not allow them to.
I was not disagreeing with you, I was just adding on that Bethel should absolutely be taking action. Sorry for not being clear.
One should really read the applicable laws Johnson was being charged with in the original case before reading the 58 page report Some inconvenient things the mob is forgetting or ignorant of in the original case:
Indiana age of consent is 16. Victim 1 was 16. Nick Johnson was not Victim 1's coach. They knew/met each other through church. Nick Johnson is not a trained masseuse, medical professional or physical therapist. Victim 1's mom drove her 3 hours to Chicago Midway airport with the intent for her to fly to Oregon by herself. Victim 1, the recipient, was aware emails were not from an Oregon coach. Victim 1's mom let Victim 1 spend the night at the Johnson home on multiple occasions. She believed Huntington University students were also spending the night there which probably was true, but I doubt she ever checked. Victim 1 was trying to protect Nick from day 1 in the 3 month investigation. She told 4 or 5 different stories depending on the day she was being interviewed. In none of her interviews did she imply that she didn't consent to anything that happened between Nick and her.
So now if go back and look at the charges you have (Check mycase.IN.gov) 35-42-4-7(n)/F5 Child Seduction-Def. has a professional relationship with child and engages in sexual intercourse, other sexual conduct 35-42-4-7(n)/F6 Child Seduction-Defendant has a professional relationship with child and fondles child with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of the child or person 35-42-3-2(a)/F6 Kidnapping-This is the basic kidnapping offense 35-43-5-3.5(a)/F6 identity deception without the other person's consent AND at least 1 of follow 1) harm or defraud another person 2) assume another person's identity 3) profess to be another person The 2 child seductions charges that hinge on him having a professional relationship with the victim. This was shaky and the police knew it which is why the interviewer was asking if he has coach made Victim 1 a scholarship offer. He proudly said he did and that it was on record with the university. I'm not sure the date was ever mentioned but I believe it occurred after the investigation began in early September of 2020. The defense would likely argue there was no professional relationship prior to that. On the kidnapping charge I think it's super weak. Yes Victim 1's mother had her traveling under false pretenses, but Johnson didn't drive her out of state. I honestly think they just used this to get media attention knowing they would have to drop it later. Finally the 4th count of Identity deception which he plead guilty to in the plea deal. I personally don't believe it was an open and shut case. The law fall under offenses against property which I don't see any actual loss by any parties involved. Yes he created an email using someone else's name. The recipient of the email was not deceived and knew exactly what was going on. Victim 1 was actually the one deceiving her mother, not Johnson. I'd also add Indiana is doing a piss poor job of prosecuting identity deception if an email claiming to be someone else does qualify. I get hundreds of spam messages a day from spammers and scammers pretending to be someone else and they do have the intent to hand over my personal property. So while we may not like the outcomes of our current laws Huntington probably did the best they could in the 2020 case. He could have easily walked especially if they were unable to find a jury of his peers that didn't know him from church or elsewhere. Remember his wife is also somewhat of a local hero and not just Huntington, really all of Northern Indiana. She ran the world championships, got 8th at the 2016 trials and has been running US Championships for the last 10 years. She even ran in the US Championships this year, 2022, where she was 9th of 12 in her semifinal. All that being said I think any reasonable University would dump a coach if they found out he was fooling around with a high school girl regardless of the legality. If you found out the football coach at your local university liked to go high school softball games in the spring to pick up 16 year olds you'd be horrified and rightfully so even if it is currently legal. As far as the rape allegations by Hannah I'm not sure when she made those. Maybe both Johnsons knew that was a possible thing down the pipeline which is why they admitted to Nick sleeping with her in their December 2020 interviews to make it seem consensual. Mrs. Johnson said she talked to Hannah about the affair her husband was having with her and Hannah admitted to it. Nothing in the 2020 police report indicates rape of the 2 athletes on the Huntington team. As someone else mentioned they never interviewed the 2 women mentioned or anyone else on the team except 1 girl whose mom pushed her to involve herself after the arrest. When this story originally came out I assumed that Lauren was a victim too and she would be filing for divorce. I wrongly assumed she had separated from him when she was hired by Huntington University for the head coaching position. Reading the full police report now, seeing she didn't get a divorce and the 33 page lawsuit she seems like much less of a victim. If you're waiting for Victim 1, 16 year old high school student, who is now 18 and on the Huntington University to turn on the Johnsons I don't believe it will be until her running career is over, if ever. In the police report she stated to the interviewer she believed "God put Mr. Johnson in her life to get her to that next level" Based on her success since December 2020 I would say she got to the next level one way or another.
Interesting write up on the first case. I don’t think anyone here expects victim 1 to “turn on” the Johnsons. That’s pretty obviously not going to happen.
The rape accusations coming later, after admitting to a sexual relationship, is completely normal. Very often, people who have been manipulated and abused don’t realize the full extent of what happened until well after the fact. The runners want to believe in their coach. They don’t want to believe that a man (connected to God or something too) is abusing them and taking advantage of them, so they will rationalize as much as possible. I have no doubt that the sexual relationship between Hannah and Nick constitutes rape. Whether or not there’s enough proof of this to do anything seems to be a different story.
I actually think Huntington is preparing to fight this. Sure, they could have Lauren and Chris resign and settle the suit out of court, but these people literally don’t believe they did anything wrong and that they have God on their side. This could actually progress through the legal system.
If that's the case, that Huntington will not settle, are they Hannah and Emma going to need legal funds? Depending on the law firm and agreement they may not be prepared to actually go to trial. Their current agreement could state that the lawyers get x% of money in a settlement. If there's no settlement and Plaintiffs want to take it to trial they would have to enter a new agreement which make include money down or more money down if they don't already have any down.
Bethel, and other schools hosting meets, can also make life hard for the HU coaching staff by requiring that they check in with campus security and watch a mandatory sexual harassment education video upon arrival plus sign a document attesting that they will adhere to that institution's policies regarding sexual behavior and student contact. They are also restricted to a 50 foot radius around their team tent while on school grounds, monitored by a member of that school's campus police. Additionally, designate a tent area significantly away from those of other teams.
Until the matter is resolved, schools should openly boycott any meets hosted by HU or demand that HU provide security and athlete escorts to all visiting athletes while they are on the HU campus.
Make sports participation such a pain in the rear for HU that they have no choice but to make changes.
One of the craziest things to me, as has been mentioned or hinted at in other posts, is how the president and board of trustees cannot be counted on to do anything at this point. They are in a league with the coaches ... as if the entire university staff, administration and board are ALL apparently part of this cult. Not sure if I've ever heard of anything quite like this. If at this point the only accountability is to the league and the NAIA, then that seems the only way this can be stopped. Thanks to those who posted those contacts.
It was not germane to the 2020 criminal suit against Johnson, so it wasn't investigated by the police. However, it would be a part of the new civil suit and will likely be investigated by the prosecuting legal team and questioned if the case goes to a jury trial:
What are the details around a 33 year old man claiming he has ED and is on testosterone for it?
In the police interviews he says all of his sexual urges that led to sleeping with athletes came from supplementing testosterone.
No one asked "where did you get a prescription for testosterone to address your ED issue? Which Dr? show us the prescription and/or we need to talk to your physicians about the testing that led to this diagnosis."
some similarities to alberto slazaar and his claims that he had low testosterone.
will there be links between nick johnson's "condition" and the fact that athletes are claiming he was providing them PEDs with apparently no medical oversight
Bethel, and other schools hosting meets, can also make life hard for the HU coaching staff by requiring that they check in with campus security and watch a mandatory sexual harassment education video upon arrival plus sign a document attesting that they will adhere to that institution's policies regarding sexual behavior and student contact. They are also restricted to a 50 foot radius around their team tent while on school grounds, monitored by a member of that school's campus police. Additionally, designate a tent area significantly away from those of other teams.
Until the matter is resolved, schools should openly boycott any meets hosted by HU or demand that HU provide security and athlete escorts to all visiting athletes while they are on the HU campus.
Make sports participation such a pain in the rear for HU that they have no choice but to make changes.
The meet is not on school grounds it's at County park 7 or 8 miles away from Bethel.
One of the craziest things to me, as has been mentioned or hinted at in other posts, is how the president and board of trustees cannot be counted on to do anything at this point. They are in a league with the coaches ... as if the entire university staff, administration and board are ALL apparently part of this cult. Not sure if I've ever heard of anything quite like this. If at this point the only accountability is to the league and the NAIA, then that seems the only way this can be stopped. Thanks to those who posted those contacts.
This is fairly common. Predators are usually adept at grooming the other adults around them.
I suspect in this case the media attention will force action at the school, probably enough donors will get uncomfortable that they will put pressure on the board behind the scenes.
But most of the time the story never blows up in the media and the people in charge don't do the right thing.
It's flat out amazing that in the child seduction/identity falsification case documents we learn that in the span of time from January 2020-September2020 nick johnson had sexual relations with 2 HU team members and sexually groomed a high school student. which according to the investigation documents they did not have sex "but victim 1 admitted to being naked in the shower together without remembering specific details about what happened after he massaged her body".
Tied to all of that Lauren Johnson knew of the sex with multiple team members.
And the decision they made as a couple was to not tell the university about the teammate sex because they would lose their jobs.
Is anyone well educated on the Title IX reporting requirements related to sexual assault. B/C I would assume a more upstanding organization would have immediately fired Lauren. If they worked at any major company, failure to report sexual assault would be a fire-able offense.
Can you imaging if your co worker slept with 2 of his direct reports and you knew all details. Then it comes to light and the company just says "it's okay you kept secrets. here's a promotion!!"
One of the craziest things to me, as has been mentioned or hinted at in other posts, is how the president and board of trustees cannot be counted on to do anything at this point. They are in a league with the coaches ... as if the entire university staff, administration and board are ALL apparently part of this cult. Not sure if I've ever heard of anything quite like this. If at this point the only accountability is to the league and the NAIA, then that seems the only way this can be stopped. Thanks to those who posted those contacts.
It's not surprising. Sexual misconduct is endemic in colleges, and not just in the athletics departments - look up the case of Jorge Dominguez, a Professor at Harvard. The colleges ALWAYS close ranks to protect the (usually male) staff until the external pressure becomes so great that they have to act. My advice to anyone who is abused by a member of staff at college would be to go to an external body - a newspaper, safesport, or whatever - because the college will do everything it can to brush your case under the rug. Quite simply: the old men running these institutions don't see anything wrong with their male faculty having sex with female students. There needs to be a culture change and that will only happen when the boomers at the top of the college hierarchies are replaced by people who grew up in an era when it isn't ok, or just a bit of fun, to hit on students.
Some of you don’t understand that the coverup / ignorance of all of this stems from Huntington University’s need to attract paying students. It is one of the hundreds of small, independent, liberal arts colleges (in spite of calling itself a “university”) that are tuition-dependent and must keep enrollments up if they are to survive. With an enrollment of less than 1000, even a 5% drop in student registrations means a big hole in the annual budget. That’s why HU accepts 81% of all applicants – basically, if you can pay, you get in. And HU is hurting. It received a “D” (the lowest grade awarded) and a 1.4 grade point average on the Forbes Financial Report Card, meaning it is one step from bankruptcy. HU competes with more than 35 other faith-based, evangelical colleges in the Indiana-Ohio-Illinois tri-state area, 10 in Indiana alone. So, how to attract those crucial, tuition-paying students? HU has to stand out in some way. All these Christian colleges claim “God first,” (see HU’s president’s web page), so nothing original there. Solution: track and field NAIA national champions. And shout it from the rooftops. Today, at 9:40 Eastern time, the HU website trumpets WILEY WINS LOUISVILLE CLASSIC TO BE NAMED NAIA RUNNER OF THE WEEK, with a full-screen photo of Abby Wiley. It’s not personal, you see, it’s just business. Riding on that achievement, the website continues: “The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 All-America Scholar Athlete honors… U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.” And please don’t expect an announcement or explanation from HU any time soon. Its website still proclaims it is the “Safest School in Indiana.” (Safe for whom?). At most we may get the boilerplate statement in these cases: “It would be unfair to comment before all the facts are clear.” “We don’t comment on personnel decisions.” “The safety of our students and staff is always our most important priority.” Depressing yes. That’s why the initiatives started here with the NAIA, Crossroads League, and other coaches, are absolutely necessary if we hope anything will come of this.
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