Mary Cain sues Al Sal and Nike for $20 million over alleged abuse

Vacilated wrote:

you had me at meat tornado wrote:

I don't know enough about the circumstances to opine. However, I do think a positive of this is particular situation is

that most coaches and programs, both professional and at the university level, now defer to registered dietitians to address the issues that are at the heart of this matter.

What’s ‘at the heart of the matter’ is a matter of opinion. In Al’s opinion, getting results is it.

I don't think he got the results he was aiming for with Cain.

Yusef Scumm. wrote:

Vacilated wrote:

You think what people think? Well there’s your first mistake.

No….. but I can read. I read on this very forum that the coa…..excuse me - EX coach you refer to is currently banned for life.

Yes, the clueless me too’rs like you struck again. This time completely unfounded.

Vacilated wrote:

Yusef Scumm. wrote:

No….. but I can read. I read on this very forum that the coa…..excuse me - EX coach you refer to is currently banned for life.

Yes, the clueless me too’rs like you struck again. This time completely unfounded.

Unfounded? His shady actions landed him a lifetime ban from his chosen profession. That’s about as “founded” as it gets, Sally.

You sound personally affected. Are you a relative that didn’t get test cream applied?

Couple of questions/comments:

I thought that I read that Cain was 5'7" 121lbs and Salazar wanted her down to an "arbitrary" weight of 114. Where does this "arbitrary" claim come from? I'm sure it was a well reasoned, targeted weight. I'd say that 114 is still too heavy. I'm trying to think of a world class (I use that because Salazar and Cain both believed that she was a world class talent) middle distance runner that weighs that much - Maybe Simpson? It wasn't like he was trying to get her under 100 lbs ffs. Now this might have been the wrong weight for Cain (5 stress fractures) but it's not an unreasonable target weight for a prototypical professional female runner.

I'm also curious why Cain didn't try and get other abused runners to join this lawsuit. I think it only takes 7 in Oregon to file a class action. Shirley there are a litany of others who would have joined. This makes me think she is trying to get "go away" money out of Nike.

Can we start addressing the discrimination and fraud charges? How could this be discrimination? Because the guys didn't have to publicly weigh in? Because the girls where judged by their tops and bottoms but the guys...not so much.

Now on to fraud; that Salazar told her that she was world class when in fact she wasn't? That caused her to give up a lucrative medical career?

It would be interesting to know the basis of those claims (without having to read the wdt).

For those accusing posters on this thread for being just a collection of old white guys angsting over the trials and tribulations of a teenaged girl, we are also fathers of daughters who run who have a vested interest in making sure this doesn't happen to them.

I agree with most, frivolous money grab that will damage Cain's brand. That being said, there is no way I'll send my daughter into the kind of environment that Salazar created.

fada tyme wrote:

joecrunner wrote:

What would the amount of the settlement likely be, if that were to happen?

Could be enough to pay her lawyers. Could be a few million.

I would love to get Michael Avenatti's take on this case.

Well the first few comments were super gross so not gonna waste time reading through all the vitriol on here. This is a good and American (!!) thing. Cain has rights. She is allowed to go to court & bring forth these allegations. Before LRCers who aren't lawyers & don't know all the facts chime in, let's see where this goes.

Unless it’s sexual abuse, the courts won’t care. Nike could win this case and her lawyer knows this. They’ll settle for $500k. The lawyer will take half and Mary Cain gets a few crumbs.

fada tyme wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Why twist my comments? The case is not about him being mean to her but rather how much of a part he played in her having 5 stess fractures and losing her running career.

Her case is unique and regardless of what the jury decides your attorney will not be accompanying you anywhere.

Based on what is reported in the article in the first post of this thread, it is definitely a great deal in part to Salazar being mean to her.

It's hard to say with out seeing the lawsuit documents. Most articles I saw sensationalized the mental abuse but one included personal injuries as being part of the suit.

limitation period wrote:

How is she able to file lawsuit now? I'm not from Oregon, but, where I am these sorts of actions would have a two year limitation period. All of these things happened a long time ago. I mean, her New York times article was two years ago.

Any lawyers from Oregon (or the US who can look a their statutes) know what the limitation period is there?

Also - if she was a minor when she first went to NOP, has she named her parents in the law suit?

I just quickly perused the Complaint. There are multiple different claims for relief. I'm not a civil attorney so I'm not up on all the timelines but I can say there are multiple different statute of limitations depending on the claims. A straight up car accident? Yah that's 2 years. But that classic timeline non lawyers generally know about does not apply to a lot claims. Negligence claims arising out of a contract range from 6-10 years depending on the type of claim. I think wage claims are 6 and negligence is 10.

Psychological abuse is abuse. Emotional abuse is abuse. He didn't need to put a finger on her to abuse her.

Assuming that the allegations are true, you don't treat people like that in the guise of "professionalism."

I hope that she gets her $20mm.

asdfghj1 wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

To win the case, Salazar will need to prove that her goal weight was realistic and the diet was appropriate.

Salazar and Nike are defendants. They don't have to prove anything. Even if Cain could prove that her goal weight wasn't realistic, that doesn't prove abuse.

"Prove"was too strong of a word. If the weight goal of 114 can be confirmed by other people or Salazar himself, he'll have to give an explanation as to how he chose that weight. If other people were involved in determining her target weight and diet, they will testify.

I don't see how you can believe whether a healthy diet was given to Cain is irrelevant. Did Salazar not even care about Cain's running career?

Salazar is not a good coach for athletes that need moral support or life mentoring.

Nevertheless, I don't understand why an athlete doesn't just leave the coach if he is causing her to get injured, run poorly, or embarrassing her in public. Athletes her age leave coaches all the time, as evidenced by the recent movement in the transfer portal and yes, there are financial incentives involved here too, as it is not guaranteed that a portal athlete will get picked up.

Did she ever ask to get a new coach? Why did she entertain working with him again until just a few months before the NYT article?

This seems like something she needs to psychologically put behind her. A long legal proceeding is not good for her.

She always struck me as intellectually gifted. What is to stop her from pursuing a career based on her intelligence?

The best way to think about this case is as an employment case. Nike and Al Sal were employers and Mary Cain was an employee with a contract.

""He would say things like “You look like sh*t * * * you’ve clearly gained five (5) pounds because you ate bacon and eggs;” and “you’re too heavy;” “it’s clear that your weight is why you’re slow.” and

"In April of 2015, Plaintiff once had a good workout in the morning, and in the evening a disappointing one, and Salazar claimed he knew she gained five pounds since that morning, a clear medical impossibility. Salazar was irate on this occasion, flailing his arms, red in the face screaming that plaintiff had gained five pounds in one day." and

"Salazar often pushed Cain to train even though she was suffering from debilitating and painful injury and illness. In 2014, she was suffering a painful injury, a stress response in her left shin. Salazar looked at the MRI showing the stress injury, yet he continued to push Cain through the pain until she couldn’t stand it anymore and was forced to close her training season early due to the unrelenting pain."

Look I agree that weight is a big factor for elite women and men. And I don't need to get into the millions of other ways to talk to an athlete about weight that are appropriate. But no way does an employer get to talk to an employee like that. And if he was truly pushing her through known injuries then that is negligence.

Jabba The Hut wrote:

followthemoney wrote:

This feels like a cash grab, and will be looked at as one by people who are familiar with the situation.

This is absolutely a desperate cash grab by Mary Cain since she had to face the adult world and she has no real world skills and no running talent. No one is going to give her a cushy contract or job that Nike did and she despises having to work a normal job for a lot less. She wants everything presented to her on a silver platter.

No running talent? The high school record holder who beat college and pro runners? That no talent?

She comes from a NE Liberal family. This is what they do. She's pulled the Bully Card out of the deck.