supergirl573
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I heard this information on Tumblr months ago, so I am not shocked.
Statement is included in Brennan's latest tweet:
Christine Brennan on Twitter
“I just received this statement from a publicist working with John Zimmerman, Silvia Fontana and Vinny Dispenza. I reported earlier today that they are currently under SafeSport investigation for an incident involving the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl in 2017:”twitter.com
To most disturbing aspect of the story is the coaches' behavior. And the fact that their threats materialized. The girl is the one in therapy and out of the sport.
Wow.
The only thing that seems so strange here is Sylvia Fontana and John Zimmerman being so corrupt like this.
I am glad this is being taken seriously.
Yes, Brennan tweeted this:Well of course they haven't been contacted yet - the investigation will conclude with interviews with them, they will contact everyone else first.
Why is it strange to you? They are relatively new skating coaches and had an Olympic level team that could get their names out there and build their reputation. Just because both are or were pretty doesn't suggest that they wouldn't engage in corrupt or illegal behavior.
Wow, this is the most shocking thing to come out yet. I am starting to really regret getting back into this sport at all around the 2018 Olympics. That's not even connected to the WADA thing, it is something I've been thinking about for awhile.
In defense of the sport/indictment of humans in general, I don't think figure skating's institutions are any more or less prone to this than others. Pretty much every sports culture has its own abuse scandals in one form or another; it just feels like we're really getting around to dealing with skating, after things like the atom bomb that obliterated USA Gymnastics.I agree with @Michalle; I can't help but feel disdain and disgust for the sport right now. Based on the actions of Dispenza, Zimmerman, and Fontana I really question how systematic this abusive culture permeates the sport.
And when asked for an example of a false accusation, doesn't supply any.but you also keep bringing up this completely irrelevant and wrong sh!t about "decent men" being "wrongly accused".
Unless someone can confirm that Fontana and/or Zimmerman knew, I can't see any suspension sticking.thank you Sylvia.
the coaches deny everything which involve them. no mention of their pupil.
it's a business matter for them, they probably have lawyers who have already thought of a strategy. they may come up with this. the evidence about the pervert appears to be clear. they'll wash hands of him. he's going to stay in France anyway. they could somehow prove that Zimmerman is being framed for pressuring the girl, they could whine about some "unknown party" who wants to ruin his career, taking advantage of the pervert's shit to tear down him and his skaters. (they have a new male champion now.) something like what Coughlin's parents said in that infamous interview. they immediately tried to paint themselves as the "shocked" victims of false allegations.
no one will be able to identify the unknown party. they can save face by repeating this over and over. the pervert will take all the blame, will not be prosecuted and everything will be silenced.
i don't know. i'm just bleeding for this story and deeply ashamed to be italian like Fontana right now.
In general, I would agree that it's impossible to ever fully be rid of such people. What's important is having the proper institutional response, which clearly failed here due to the coaches' instinct to cover it up.There will always be horrible, scummy people such as Cipres who would send dick pics to a child
Ha, like it has to do with them being attractive. How f*cking petty of you to assume. I have spent time around them. I know people who know them well. That kind of behavior is shocking and horrifying from people I thought--we all thought--were decent human beings.
It depends on what you're talking about.Back to the topic, this person says:
https://twitter.com/JudgeThree/status/1204425315948343296?s=20
So unless the French Fed opens an investigation, Cipres might get away? I am not sure.
The article repeatedly alludes to the parents having interacted with Fontana and Zimmerman on the subject.Unless someone can confirm that Fontana and/or Zimmerman knew, I can't see any suspension sticking.
As if most of this board didn't already know, you are despicable. Hate to be a man right now? I would hate to be the 13-year old girl who received unsolicited dick pics from someone I trained with. Way to go, defending a probable predator.
You should not. If she is proven to be a greedy bytch, it won't have anything to do with her being Italian. And everything to do with the fact she is a heartless witch who sacrificed the well being of a child to her own interests. I'm not ashamed to be French because of Cipres. Normal French men don't send dick pix to underage girls (or to anyone for the matter). You're not more responsible for Fontana's appalling behavior than I am for Cipres being an a$$hole.deeply ashamed to be italian like Fontana right now.
Yes, Brennan tweeted this:
"A few thoughts on this statement: They have not yet been contacted by SafeSport because SS has just begun its investigation. They will be contacted in due time. As for saying there are no claims against them, there are most definitely claims against them."
It depends on what you're talking about.
On a criminal level, only a legal system can issue a judgment. Ciprès might be sued in the US, sued in France and the decisions might or might not be applied if he doesn't stay there.
On a sport level, Ciprès could be punished by his federation if he aspires to a future position, which depends on the legal decision as the french federation has no investigation power and is actually much to thin to have any.
But in France, you have another level. As soon as you're working with minors (which is the case of most of the skating coaches), you enter the zone of the Code de l'action sociale et des familles and of the Protection des Mineurs. To work around kids, you must go through the whole Jeunesse et Sports process. And the very first step is the checking of your penal record. If you have anything on it, from a speeding ticket to a public intoxication, your file will be rejected and you won't be authorized to work with kids. And even if your record is clean, if there is a doubt, there might be an administrative inquiry with very large powers (including the checking of foreign informations), which result won't be made public, but may put you on the list of forbidden persons and may bar you forever from working with minor kids. That's how the coach of a french olympian got banned from coaching some 20 years ago while he remained close to the top of the federation and close to figure skating. He wasn't sentenced, he wasn't removed by his federation, but he wasn't allowed to work with underage people anymore. So his coaching career died.
So I don't know what awaits Morgan Ciprès but if he ever sent a dickpic to a kid, as this won't be a discreet thing he'll be able to conceal from the people of the Jeunesse et Sports administration, I very much doubt he'll ever be allowed to work with kids in France and a coaching career will therefore be very difficult to sustain. So I wouldn't say he might get away.
Safe Sport has routinely said that they are understaffedWhat have they been doing the last 4 months since this was first reported if they have only 'just begun' their investigation?
Four months with such high profile skaters..........that is poor management. Everyone is under staffed. Work smarter.Safe Sport has routinely said that they are understaffed
Safe Sport has routinely said that they are understaffed
I have spent time around them. I know people who know them well. That kind of behavior is shocking and horrifying from people I thought--we all thought--were decent human beings.
Okay I hate to keep being stupid but ..... so Christine says they haven't been contacted by SS yet because it has 'just begun' its investigation. The article states it was reported to SS on August 10. That was f-o-u-r months ago. Why are they 'just beginning' the investigation now .... f-o-u-r months later? What have they been doing the last 4 months since this was first reported if they have only 'just begun' their investigation?