These revelations are disturbing. But not as disturbing as the fact that Nowak smoked Virginia Slims. Monster. The most startling thing in the release is that Todd Durbin and Don Garber demanded, and received, Nowak's firing. Am I the only person who finds that an utterly shocking over-reach by the league?
The answer to this probably depends on where you're from. If you're Canadian, it's probably not so goofy. Sack is the Isiah Thomas of MLS.
Everyone is basically an employee of the league at one level or another, so I'm not surprised at all.
NFL, NBA and MLB have done the same thing over the years. You just don't hear about it as directly because the lawsuits don't become public.
I think that yeah, you are the only person. In a single entity league, Garber couldn't allow the league to become liable in a concussion lawsuit, nor could he allow the league to become liable in a "unfair practices" or anti-labor lawsuit. And spanking players by any definition is a hostile work environment. That, too, exposed the league to a lawsuit. Frankly, I hope that Garber summoned the Union owner to New York for a "full and frank exchange of views." (That's diplo-speak for chewing someone's ass out.)
I would also imagine that with the recent full initiation of the youth academies--Philadelphia Union included--that it was paramount to remove him before it poisoned the well.
Also teenagers Santino Quaranta (drug addition issues later on), Bobby Convey (withdrawn loner tendencies) and Freddy Adu (strip club addict). Not everything can be blamed on Nowak and company, but wow did they open themselves up for liability. I can kind of understand teammates doing some hazing thinking it builds team unity (and coaches looking the other way), in a college sorority kind of way. What we had instead were coaches actively involved in humiliating players, "taping it" so they could be covered if someone try to claim they went overboard and then showing those videos to others for chuckles. How big a knucklehead do you have to be to do this stuff????
Here's the additional level which amazes me: we only know all of it because Nowak himself brought a lawsuit. This might gave been in a player's memoirs someday but otherwise he skates. That's a high knucklehead threshold right there.
And that's just the "concussions aren't real" part of this, don't forget the "physically abusing minors" part: News flash: hitting kids is bad 685630600607305728 is not a valid tweet id
Can I just go on record and say I find it highly unlikely that Nowak ever hit a player so hard that he had to ice his hand afterwards? He might have done it for comic effect, but I doubt he needed it.
In reading the comments from both sides (including Nowak's responses), I don't think comic effect was seen very often at a Nowak practice.
It may not have been there during practice, but I've laughed my ass off watching this team try to play soccer over the last 5 years.
For the record, the asshole I strongly dislike is Matt Yglesias. I plainly don't like Nowak. Also In IA, @tedcruz tells crowd that when his 5 yr old daughter lies "she gets a spanking." Suggests same for @HillaryClinton on Benghazi.— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) January 8, 2016
I'm not trying to be political, but when did it become okay to say you would physically "spank" another person, even in jest. A thing that has not been talked about so far is Nowak and the US u-23. They seem similar in age to his spanking players.
I think we can all agree that in no workplace in America is spanking a fellow employee acceptable. At most jobs I suspect that only threatening to spank somebody would be grounds for action by HR. The notion that the USSF still employs Hackworth as the US U17 coach is shocking!!!! If he had any knowledge that this was occurring, which it certainly seems like he did, he needs to be fired IMMEDIATELY. I mean immediately. He actually worked with our U15 team this past year. Can you imagine? Perhaps parents who've sent their kids to Bradenton don't know what this man was doing in his past. Videotaping the spanking of rookies and youngsters? It almost makes me vomit. Nick Sakiewicz can also have no involvement with MLS or the USSF ever again if Nowak's claim that he condoned the activity are true. It certainly seems like he knew the activity was occuring and did nothing to stop it. I'm actually surprised the entire playing staff didn't go on strike in Philly the first time the spanking happened. I mean....................its despicable.
There was also a reference to spankings done with sandals. Due to the fact that the coaches involved seem to be the same race (white), if they were punishing Black, Hispanic or other Ethnic groups they have stupidly open themselves up to Civil Rights violations.