I’m getting very concerned that HU is not going to do anything until they are forced to. I hope this news goes national soon and that applies enough pressure. But it seems like everyone there is a part of this insane cult. It’s so sad to watch these girls not support their teammates who have spoken out to try and save them. What a sick and twisted world this is.
This is an utter calamity. I don’t know if I can do anything of substance for these athletes, but I will tell as many people as I can. Exposure is the enemy of HU right now; we’ve got to make sure this story doesn’t get buried.
I’m getting very concerned that HU is not going to do anything until they are forced to. I hope this news goes national soon and that applies enough pressure. But it seems like everyone there is a part of this insane cult. It’s so sad to watch these girls not support their teammates who have spoken out to try and save them. What a sick and twisted world this is.
Look around. It’s the way of the world now. Ostrich mode and/or deny and/or minimize until you are forced to change. We need to force that change here. The lawsuit is promising. Depositions would be earth shattering. I fear an early settlement will silence it though.
Curtis Hines ~ who is a teacher at Huntington North High School and was named in the lawsuit ran with the team today for their workout. Seems appropriate…
Curtis Hines ~ who is a teacher at Huntington North High School and was named in the lawsuit ran with the team today for their workout. Seems appropriate…
They went private, wonder if they saw the thread or you were just following them
Must have taken the account private--I'm not following Hines and was able to see his posts an hour ago but can't now. Someone also posted a screenshot of Hines' strava run in a reply to an HU athletics twitter post, so he could have seen it there too
Curtis Hines ~ who is a teacher at Huntington North High School and was named in the lawsuit ran with the team today for their workout. Seems appropriate…
They went private, wonder if they saw the thread or you were just following them
He was public. I made a brand new Strava account and was able to view his profile which included a run today on Huntington’s campus. He went private just a few minutes ago.
I hate how evil this all is, and how Huntington is ignoring it.
Brave of the women in the article to speak up. They are heroes, and I wish Indy star would remove it's paywall so more eyes can be put on this story. It is a massive story, and it's not getting the traction it needs because people see a paywall and continue about their day. These women did not speak out, talk about the worst things that ever happened to them, and even volunteer for their accomplishments to be erased from the record books, to make the indystar a few bucks. Get rid of the paywall.
This is terrifying for all the Huntington women. Someone needs to make sure they are okay. I am scared for Victim 1. It's really hard to make sense of how she's rationalizing this, and what sort of parental support she has, or if both she and her parents were groomed and manipulated by these disgusting predators.
Props to the pro runners who are speaking out. Just saw Aisha Praught Leer post some pretty strongly worded statements in her IG story too. Some more will probably come out about their time at OTC.
As someone who competed in, coached in, and continues to follow NAIA/Crossroads League XC and T&F I have lurked in all of the prominent threads about this topic. This is my first comment about it and I could get lost by the time I get started. There are so many angles to this, so many things to be angry, horrified, and deeply saddened about. I say that having read the full lawsuit and half (so far) of the 58-page police report outlining the investigation and charges initially filed against Nick Johnson. There are just as many questions that beg to be answered, most of which have been asked in the threads mentioned above, including this one. When it comes down to it, however, there are some things that are undeniable in their utter awfulness. All you have to do is read.
It has been my opinion since the day I found out in early 2021 that HU hired Lauren Johnson as the head men's and women's XC coach at the university that HU made the worst decision you could possibly ever make in that situation from a pure PR perspective. The truth is worse. This situation was, and positively remains, an abject institutional failure of duty to its students and athletes. For now, people can "debate" how much and how soon SOME people may have known, but the fact is more than enough people knew more than enough information in the moment that this initially came to light that the fact we are still talking about this awful place/situation is a damnation of the highest order against the administration of the university. The proverbial heads have to roll - I know of people who have lost university admin & coaching jobs for less. Failure to act by Huntington continues to be unacceptable because it was never acceptable in the first place.
It is my hope, but unfortunately not my expectation, that HU's peers in the sport - specifically in the NAIA and the Crossroads League - take some form of a stand against the Foresters until the university removes the cancers within itself. Lauren's, Hines', and the other negligent parties continued presence diminishes everyone in some form or fashion. Whether it be the athletic departments themselves, the coaches, or the athletes I hope at least some combination of those people see this as plainly as many here seem to.
As someone who competed in, coached in, and continues to follow NAIA/Crossroads League XC and T&F I have lurked in all of the prominent threads about this topic. This is my first comment about it and I could get lost by the time I get started. There are so many angles to this, so many things to be angry, horrified, and deeply saddened about. I say that having read the full lawsuit and half (so far) of the 58-page police report outlining the investigation and charges initially filed against Nick Johnson. There are just as many questions that beg to be answered, most of which have been asked in the threads mentioned above, including this one. When it comes down to it, however, there are some things that are undeniable in their utter awfulness. All you have to do is read.
It has been my opinion since the day I found out in early 2021 that HU hired Lauren Johnson as the head men's and women's XC coach at the university that HU made the worst decision you could possibly ever make in that situation from a pure PR perspective. The truth is worse. This situation was, and positively remains, an abject institutional failure of duty to its students and athletes. For now, people can "debate" how much and how soon SOME people may have known, but the fact is more than enough people knew more than enough information in the moment that this initially came to light that the fact we are still talking about this awful place/situation is a damnation of the highest order against the administration of the university. The proverbial heads have to roll - I know of people who have lost university admin & coaching jobs for less. Failure to act by Huntington continues to be unacceptable because it was never acceptable in the first place.
It is my hope, but unfortunately not my expectation, that HU's peers in the sport - specifically in the NAIA and the Crossroads League - take some form of a stand against the Foresters until the university removes the cancers within itself. Lauren's, Hines', and the other negligent parties continued presence diminishes everyone in some form or fashion. Whether it be the athletic departments themselves, the coaches, or the athletes I hope at least some combination of those people see this as plainly as many here seem to.
I'm also a Crossroads League XC/T&F alumnus and there seems to be some others here as well. What can we do about this? Could we draft an open letter to Huntington, the league and the NAIA and get as many alumni as possible to sign it? Call up our former coaches and ask them/their institutions to pressure Huntington? Any other ideas?
As someone who competed in, coached in, and continues to follow NAIA/Crossroads League XC and T&F I have lurked in all of the prominent threads about this topic. This is my first comment about it and I could get lost by the time I get started. There are so many angles to this, so many things to be angry, horrified, and deeply saddened about. I say that having read the full lawsuit and half (so far) of the 58-page police report outlining the investigation and charges initially filed against Nick Johnson. There are just as many questions that beg to be answered, most of which have been asked in the threads mentioned above, including this one. When it comes down to it, however, there are some things that are undeniable in their utter awfulness. All you have to do is read.
It has been my opinion since the day I found out in early 2021 that HU hired Lauren Johnson as the head men's and women's XC coach at the university that HU made the worst decision you could possibly ever make in that situation from a pure PR perspective. The truth is worse. This situation was, and positively remains, an abject institutional failure of duty to its students and athletes. For now, people can "debate" how much and how soon SOME people may have known, but the fact is more than enough people knew more than enough information in the moment that this initially came to light that the fact we are still talking about this awful place/situation is a damnation of the highest order against the administration of the university. The proverbial heads have to roll - I know of people who have lost university admin & coaching jobs for less. Failure to act by Huntington continues to be unacceptable because it was never acceptable in the first place.
It is my hope, but unfortunately not my expectation, that HU's peers in the sport - specifically in the NAIA and the Crossroads League - take some form of a stand against the Foresters until the university removes the cancers within itself. Lauren's, Hines', and the other negligent parties continued presence diminishes everyone in some form or fashion. Whether it be the athletic departments themselves, the coaches, or the athletes I hope at least some combination of those people see this as plainly as many here seem to.
I'm also a Crossroads League XC/T&F alumnus and there seems to be some others here as well. What can we do about this? Could we draft an open letter to Huntington, the league and the NAIA and get as many alumni as possible to sign it? Call up our former coaches and ask them/their institutions to pressure Huntington? Any other ideas?
As someone who competed in, coached in, and continues to follow NAIA/Crossroads League XC and T&F I have lurked in all of the prominent threads about this topic. This is my first comment about it and I could get lost by the time I get started. There are so many angles to this, so many things to be angry, horrified, and deeply saddened about. I say that having read the full lawsuit and half (so far) of the 58-page police report outlining the investigation and charges initially filed against Nick Johnson. There are just as many questions that beg to be answered, most of which have been asked in the threads mentioned above, including this one. When it comes down to it, however, there are some things that are undeniable in their utter awfulness. All you have to do is read.
It has been my opinion since the day I found out in early 2021 that HU hired Lauren Johnson as the head men's and women's XC coach at the university that HU made the worst decision you could possibly ever make in that situation from a pure PR perspective. The truth is worse. This situation was, and positively remains, an abject institutional failure of duty to its students and athletes. For now, people can "debate" how much and how soon SOME people may have known, but the fact is more than enough people knew more than enough information in the moment that this initially came to light that the fact we are still talking about this awful place/situation is a damnation of the highest order against the administration of the university. The proverbial heads have to roll - I know of people who have lost university admin & coaching jobs for less. Failure to act by Huntington continues to be unacceptable because it was never acceptable in the first place.
It is my hope, but unfortunately not my expectation, that HU's peers in the sport - specifically in the NAIA and the Crossroads League - take some form of a stand against the Foresters until the university removes the cancers within itself. Lauren's, Hines', and the other negligent parties continued presence diminishes everyone in some form or fashion. Whether it be the athletic departments themselves, the coaches, or the athletes I hope at least some combination of those people see this as plainly as many here seem to.
I'm also a Crossroads League XC/T&F alumnus and there seems to be some others here as well. What can we do about this? Could we draft an open letter to Huntington, the league and the NAIA and get as many alumni as possible to sign it? Call up our former coaches and ask them/their institutions to pressure Huntington? Any other ideas?
Let them know you're paying attention. I agree with other posters the only way to get them to move on this is public pressure.
The story is just so surreal. A small Christian school of 900 kids hires track coaches who proceed to not only abuse the athletes, but to supply PEDs to athletes who are clearly at a small Christian NAIA school for reasons other than running. At least Salazar took risks that offered life changing payoffs for his athletes. Given the stakes involved here and the mission of the school, it makes the story just so sad.
And yes, I am not forgetting the abuse. The guy clearly has problems. The wife sticking by him is strange and reminds me of the wife who stuck with Duggar guy after child porn. I think most Christians would easily forgive her for leaving her husband. She can't be staying for this job?
The attorneys hired by the plaintiffs are no joke. I would trust them and their ability to shed even more light on the situation. Like David mentioned this morning during his Fox59 interview, there is clearly evidence that was not shared with him for obvious reasons. I really think we are only scratching the surface here.
Law enforcement should be having private conversations with every HU runner that has ever had contact with Nick, Lauren, and the administration. After reading the original 58 page court filing regarding “victim 1”, it is clear no HU runners were questioned outside those directly involved. Hell, even the 2 athletes that had sexual relations with Nick weren’t questioned (according to the 58 page court document). This cannot happen for the current investigation. Every single athlete must be questioned.
If NAIA and Huntington refuse to do anything, the XC ratings committee should drop Huntington from the rankings and blackball them from nationals.
This is actually an interesting point. NAIA rankings are decided and voted on by the elected individuals (most of the time coaches). As long as HU doesn’t win conference (they won’t), this is actually a pretty good way to “stick it to them”.
I only skimmed this thread, so I might have missed it. I think I saw comparisons to the gymnastic Dr. but to me, it seems kind of Penn State/ Sandusky-like. Sandusky's wife had to be co-grooming those kids that spent time at her home. The school, board, etc. all sick enablers. Good thing it looks like this one got fewer kids.
I only skimmed this thread, so I might have missed it. I think I saw comparisons to the gymnastic Dr. but to me, it seems kind of Penn State/ Sandusky-like. Sandusky's wife had to be co-grooming those kids that spent time at her home. The school, board, etc. all sick enablers. Good thing it looks like this one got fewer kids.
There was a story told by one of the victims in the article that felt very Nassar-esque (gross). It involved forced injections.
I read the 58pg police report as well as the lawsuit document, and there were notable aspects that I did not understand completely. I apologize to any / all I may have offended. This entire situation is utterly awful, disgusting, and depraved.
One facet that I do not believe has been mentioned - but that makes me very angry - is the incomprehensible, inconsistent, and negligent behavior of the Huntington Police. It appeared that they displayed at least a modicum of due diligence in pushing Johnson when it pertained to the Victim1 situation. They established a number a felonies that Johnson committed, which led to him serving jail time. However, Hannah has reported being raped to the HPD as well as the District Attorney’s Office of Northern Indiana multiple times- the very people who could’ve / should’ve done something several months ago - yet they have done NOTHING (despite being well aware of Johnson’s sordid past)! WTH?! Why aren’t they doing anything?? This is inexplicable / unforgivable, and I can’t believe they weren’t also named as defendants to the lawsuit due to their gross negligence. How could the attorneys overlook this?
Also, where is ***** in all this? How could the attorneys not include her to the lawsuit as well? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that since Johnson was raping Hannah (“allegedly”), he was violating A in the same way. I’m concerned that H and E may not have retained capable attorneys as these are glaring unforced errors on their part.