When the John Chadima booze-to-minors and sexual-assault-while-losing-the-Rose-Bowl scandal broke out there really wasn't much to say. Once again a Football program had harbored a sexual predator and when the miscreant was caught covered for him. However, now that local sports writer Andy Baggot and Alvarez parrot Tom Mulhern have argued that the Athletic Department's abhorrent and illegal behavior was honorable and courageous, it is more than a reasonable person can stand.
The facts of the matter are that Chadima has for years held booze-drenched parties for underage students without any punishment. It is also that the case that providing underage men and women with alcohol is a crime. It is also the case that Chadima sexually assaulted a student. Sexual assault is a crime. Yet when officials in the Athletic Department heard credible accusations of Chadima's engaging in sexual assault and providing alcohol to minors they did not phone the police. Indeed, even after Chadima had at least tacitly admitted guilt by resigning the UW as a whole refused to publicize his criminal and cretinous behavior.
The AD protected a man who, more likely than not given that defeated in one sexual assault he immediately attempted another, has engaged in multiple sexual assaults on students under his care and supervision. The Chadima situation is identical to the Paternal situation. The individuals to whom the student reported the sexual assault ought to have immediately called the police and let Chadima deal with the full ramifications of his actions. Protecting a criminal is, last I checked, a crime.
How any responsible adult looking at this disaster coming as it does on the heels of similar disaster and not insist that everyone involved resign is beyond me. The time has come to end college athletics as currently constituted or admit the enterprise's whole purpose is the financial enrichment of handful of coaches and ADs as a means of providing Saturday afternoon content for multi-billion dollar corporations.
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