She’s still responsible for being negligent and not stopping this. Negligence means she could have done something to prevent all of this, and she chose not to. Shame on her.
I’m amazed at how many people on this board keep trying to defend her. She clearly knew something was happening. Who knows how much exactly, but she could have done something. And she decided to be a coward and allow other people to suffer at the hands of her husband instead of getting involved. Shame on her.
Things like this keep happening, over and over again, in large part due to people like Lauren knowing what is going on and having the power to do something, and choosing not to. So shame on her. She should be held responsible and it should send a message to everyone else who thinks about being a coward as well.
The same goes to the other assistant coaches and the school officials. People have been talking about this on LetsRun for TWO YEARS. They all knew. Shame on them.
This is going to be like Penn State, I think. Heads are going to roll right up the administration. I have no idea how anyone is left standing by the time the dust settles.
Everyone needs to read this article. Outstanding reporting. Of significant note for the current environment there is damning information about the Lauren/still his wife/still the coach being present for, participating in, and making excuses for his behavior. As well as the school and the people in charge there still supporting both Nick and Lauren. As referenced above, it’s a Penn State situation.
Wow I had no idea that indy star was looking into it. there was discussion on indiana runner as well that someone should be concerned about a school getting lauded recruits given rule concerns with coaching staff. apparently some sports reporters lauding the program the last few years took a look into the rumors.
I am generally very cynical about the sport. Give me an odd progression or outlier time and I will typically assume the worst and often with very good reason.
Regarding that time, there were a few seeming mitigating factors. The first was that her coach, a pro running, was pacing the athlete around the track for almost the full race. As with the 3200 TT a few years back, I figured that the draft effect could account for the time, and that it was a time within the range of an upper 4:30s miler given how it was set up. A second mitigating factor was the athlete's age, again someone who was already college age, one month younger than Barret from Virginia. Finally, the runner's times without that set up while good did not set off major red flags for me. While the set up for that 1600 was titling the playing field and maybe reflect helicopter coaching, I wrote it off.
However in light of these subsequen, well-substantiated allegations and said athlete's sudden, seemingly inexplicable decision to decommit from a major univerity program at the 11th hour, I have to revisit my initial assessment. With the very serious issues of emotional manipulation and abuse that may have come into play, there was another potential basis of manipulation based upon the athlete becoming overreliant on the coach for her breakthrough performances, performances that clearly may not have been clean. In the athlete's own statement, she cited the performances she was able to achieve with Johnson as an explanation. Whether the athlete knew what was going on and was an unwitting victim of her own gullibility, I questioned why any athlete confident in her own talent and seemingly a top recruit would see her coach as someone so indispensible unless there was something more to it.
I would say I’m surprised HU hasn’t posted a statement yet, but with their track record I guess I’m not all that surprised. But hey, they posted about their Foundation Breakfast Series a couple of hours ago on Facebook.
A very depressing read. It took a lot of courage from a lot of people to get this out. If only people like Lauren Johnson had courage, maybe some of this could have been prevented.
This is a huge story. And it should transcend running and become national news.
I don't even know what to say. It's way worse than I thought. How could this be allowed? A lot like the Nassar situation, I'm flabbergasted.
Props to Hannah and Emma Wilson and all the people who spoke up for this story. I hope Wilson finds her love for the sport again after it was viciously taken away from her. It's so evil.
I understand people who say that the focus of people's outrage should be the sexual abuse and I agree. But the doping--and the way the doping was carried out is horrifying. Nick Johnson should be in prison for what he's done.
Injecting women with things and not even telling them what or why he's injecting them? FORCIBLY INJECTING? This is a massive violation of bodily autonomy. How dare he. Did he reuse those needles? Did he throw them away after he lied to them and forced them to be injected?
The sexual abuse is pure evil too. The story about the minor going to Oregon with him is disturbing on so many levels. How did he get off with a slap on the wrist when he fully kidnapped and sexually abused a minor?!
There needs to be a full investigation into this school and it's practices and it needs to hit the national news cycle. I don't care that they're NAIA, these girls lives matter.
It's hard not to worry about the situation the current girls team is in today. The article shows that Lauren was fully aware of her husband's practices and many in the article allege he's basically shadow coaching through her.
I want to say one more thing. All the pro women and men who claim to be all "rah rah girls in sports" need to step up and show support to these victims. I will be watching them; what they do, how they act and what they say. This includes
I want to say one more thing. All the pro women and men who claim to be all "rah rah girls in sports" need to step up and show support to these victims. I will be watching them; what they do, how they act and what they say. This includes
Kara Goucher, CSC (this is a DOPING story too)
Mary Cain
Citius Mag, Melly, Chavez
Nikki Hiltz
Colleen Quigley
I’ve been looking for their reactions too. Silence is deafening.
I want to say one more thing. All the pro women and men who claim to be all "rah rah girls in sports" need to step up and show support to these victims. I will be watching them; what they do, how they act and what they say. This includes
Kara Goucher, CSC (this is a DOPING story too)
Mary Cain
Citius Mag, Melly, Chavez
Nikki Hiltz
Colleen Quigley
I’ve been looking for their reactions too. Silence is deafening.
Goucher already commented. Give it some time. This will be a national news story in the next few days.