Athletics Canada CEO "retires" after meeting w/ board chair over sexualised tweets

Probably fake news, but I'll bite. Sexual 'tweets '. Show us. ..

It's 2022.

It is still happening.

It's true.

Apparently, he was going to retire soo anyway. I can't believe I read two different articles about it without any examples being provided. Finally, I found an article with some info on what he actually did.

Canadian press wrote:

In one exchange, a woman alludes to oral sex. A tweet from Bedford's account responds: "You are killing me girl. Don't know whether to laugh or cry reading your tweets!"

In another, a woman remarks about not wearing a bra. A tweet from Bedford's account responds: "Always important to have a couple of firm, upstanding individuals."

Bedford said he was informed by Helen Manning, the chair of the Athletics Canada's board of directors, on Saturday about the complaint, and he removed the tweets later that day. He also made his Twitter account private.

and an other article after he retired.

These are examples of his replies that are in the Athletics Illustrated article above:

According to TSN, Bedford tweeted to a user about oral sex, saying, “You are killing me girl. Don’t know whether to laugh or cry reading your tweets!”

According to Canadian Running Magazine, a woman tweeted about not wearing a bra, and Bedford responded with “Always important to have a couple of firm, upstanding individuals.”

So, TSN, Canadian Running, CBC and Athletics Illustrated is four, plus the coast reporter one you site is five.

It never ceases to amaze me how many men in high positions keep shooting themselves in the foot like this. Regardless of whether you think the tweets are offensive or not, people in those positions should be smart enough to know you never put something like that out on the internet. To me it indicates that a) the guy is not particularly smart, and b) can't see obvious consequences of his actions. He should certainly resign - for incompetence - as much as anything.

Odd that people would get bent out of shape over some dumb-ass comments but allowing males to compete against females is not an issue?

[quote]Raddison wrote:

Regardless of whether you think the tweets are offensive or not, people in those positions should be smart enough to know you never put something like that out on the internet. /quote]

It's an age thing, I think. The norms and tech are evolving rapidly and it's a lot easier to track the movement if you grew up with it. When I first started using social media in 2006, people I knew posted intensely personal stuff on their facebooks and you had to go out of your way to find it, but when you did, it was juicy. Now, the goal is to be bland. I can see how someone would screw that up, just like I could understand how Jeffrey Toobin wouldn't understand the mechanics of zoom when he flashed his work meeting.

But, as you say, understanding how such things work is a key part of the job.

Wetcoast wrote:

How do leaders, coaches etc in sports while in the public eye not know not to do this by now? Just how?

https://athleticsillustrated.com/david-bedford-ceo-of-athletics-canada-retires/

This is a great question.

runnersweb makes a good point about the males racing females.

In regards to age. I don't know. He is not 80-100 years old and "losing it" or from the "old days" excuse. This would not have been right 20 years ago. That's a long time.

Importantly, it speaks to greater things. Chances are there is more to him than just replying on Twitter. Thin edge of the wedge scenario?

He immediately shot down his Twitter account. He was immediately (after meeting with board chair) "retired" which is interesting.....

Man, those are some HOT TWEETS!

Time, Love & Tenderness wrote:

Man, those are some HOT TWEETS!

Canadians are really that prudish and puritanical to get worked up over tweets like those? Sheesh.

Man Overboard wrote:

Time, Love & Tenderness wrote:

Man, those are some HOT TWEETS!

Canadians are really that prudish and puritanical to get worked up over tweets like those? Sheesh.

LRC: where standards of professional behavior are always misunderstood.

There is now much less tolerance for this type of behavior due to the volume of people abusing their power.

If we want to name the lack of tolerance, let's call it the Weinstein effect or the Cosby effect.

Tweeting is potentially the thin edge of the wedge and certainly suggests the lack of ability to make responsible decisions.

He was in a position of influence or power.

and he had some likes involving oral sex as well...

For some people his release (or "retirement") might be too "woke"...but it's 2022, and he/we should consider:

1) 100% of his offside tweets were directed sexually towards females; Athletics Canada middle age males have had a recent history of sexual misconduct....what the hell is he thinking?

2) how are any female staff or athletes supposed to respect a CEO that is making comments about female anatomy and/or sex with females?

3) He is married, what he does behind close doors is his and his wife's business, but again, the amount of respect he is showing towards his wife by doing this is deplorable. Again, how are people going to feel he respects them, when he doesn't apparently respect his wife?

4) He actually defended himself in the newspapers, that this was a joke, and nothing was wrong....nail in the coffin.

and

5) If he is willing to do this publicly, what the heck does that say he might do privately.....

Don't care much about 3, but the to the rest: yes. If he was a grocery store cashier or a plumber, writing some thirsty/unprofessional tweets from a personal account is just cringe and not worth getting fired over. But if you have a public-facing job of influence or power, you need to be mindful of how you come across online, even when it's off the job. This is the current reality, but some older generation types don't really get it.

On the surface it seems like this is just a branding/image issue for employers, hence the controversy. Many correctly argue that this could be misused in the sense that your employer shouldn't have undue power to police your private life or limit your freedom of speech. It is definitely not good when employers start firing people for things like political opinions/activism (as long as it's not criminal/hate speech), lifestyle choices, or the like because they are contrary to their brand/image.

It is however facile to assume that this is the only issue. For certain types of jobs, evidence of certain after hours behaviour can indicate professional incompetence or otherwise undermine the person's ability to do their job properly/safely. If a doctor posts non-factual medical information on their personal account, this may mean patients are in danger when they are on the clock and so they have to go. If you are in a public service/leadership role making off-colour sexual remarks about women undermines your ability to do your job properly. The public you serve and make decisions for includes women who might reasonably have some concerns about your judgment or intent. It's primarily a job competence issue IMHO.

The end result of cancel culture is everyone amd everything gets canceled. People like to point the finger to feel self righteous. They act as if they're sh.it don't stink. But most likely they're just good at hiding and covering their tracks when they do their dirty work. Human nature is follied immaculately.

Considering that AC has just had to deal with the Dave Scott-Thomas and Ottawa Lions scandals, it gives the impression that not much has been learned.

How about fewer dirtbags in our sport?

The person who got fired was probably paid at least 25x what most of those athletes receive. The athletes get less than 10% of the funding. Typical with these organizations and you wonder why there's problems and corruption.