Keeping Track of Criminal Cases & SafeSport Suspensions in Skating

[CassAgain]

I thought Maia and Ross dated a million years ago, but maybe they were just friends.

 

[Spiralgraph]

If Ross wrote all those things, what a miserable excuse for a human being. Disgusted with his behavior.

 

[maatTheViking]

I don't know why I find this shocking every time. I suppose it's good to have faith in mankind, but then again.

the USFA needs to wake up indeed; it's clear there IS a culture of harassment and abuse.

and I also think there are lot of cases that don't get a lot of press; anything with a former US medalist and national team member is bound to get an article regardless of Miner maybe not being 'well known' as such.

My heart wishes the victim(s) peace and support.

 

[Debbie S]

Ashley Wagner has posted some thoughts on her IG page and story. (Link should work for anyone with an IG account.)

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[kirkbiggestfan]

The Mitchell-Johanson Method training center is obviously in crisis mode. I have seen so many great kids leave the skating club of Boston to go there. Mark and Peter have transitionned a lot of the coaching to Ross and Heidi. They were supposed to take some time off. If the "method" is going to survive, it is time to take actions now. I can't believe they have not even done a press release to condemn this.

 

[Debbie S]

The Mitchell-Johanson Method training center is obviously in crisis mode. I have seen so many great kids leave the skating club of Boston to go there.

Some of their higher level skaters have actually left over the past year. Ryan Dunk and Gabby Izzo have moved to SCOB and Milly Murdock is now at Cricket Club, I believe.

 

[overedge]

It looks like the Twitter account has deleted the screenshots of the alleged messages.

I assume that to be able to coach Ross took some kind of professional training that must have included something around inclusive behaviour. Even if he is a racist, I would hope he would be smart enough to keep his views to himself, and especially not to express them in a professional context or by using a medium where his views could be recorded. Apparently he wasn't that smart.

 

[Vagabond]

The Mitchell-Johanson Method training center is obviously in crisis mode. I have seen so many great kids leave the skating club of Boston to go there. Mark and Peter have transitionned a lot of the coaching to Ross and Heidi. They were supposed to take some time off. If the "method" is going to survive, it is time to take actions now. I can't believe they have not even done a press release to condemn this.

Whether or not they have been taking time off, as Miner's employers, Mitchell and Johanson must have been contacted in connection with the SafeSport investigation. They should have already been taking actions.

 

[Debbie S]

It looks like the Twitter account has deleted the screenshots of the alleged messages.

I assume that to be able to coach Ross took some kind of professional training that must have included something around inclusive behaviour. Even if he is a racist, I would hope he was smart enough to keep his views to himself, and especially not to express them in a professional context. Apparently he wasn't that smart.

I'm not sure the CER courses that USFS coaches have to take annually include anything on DEI. They are required to take a course on sexual harassment/abuse and a course on IJS/new rules, but I think the other 2 courses/topics are up to them...there may be a course on inclusion but optional to take it.

 

[overedge]

I'm not sure the CER courses that USFS coaches have to take annually include anything on DEI. They are required to take a course on sexual harassment/abuse and a course on IJS/new rules, but I think the other 2 courses/topics are up to them...there may be a course on inclusion but optional to take it.

I may not have used the right words here. I meant "inclusion" in the sense of being trained "don't be a racist and don't harass people".

 

[VGThuy]

It looks like Miner deleted or suspended his IG account.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Whether or not they have been taking time off, as Miner's employers, Mitchell and Johanson must have been contacted in connection with the SafeSport investigation. They should have already been taking actions.

I find it surprising too that MJM hadn't put out a statement peremptorily. Is Miner the Rink Director at their rink like our friend Vinny in Florida? If anything should have been learned from the Zimmerman situation, it is that a rink cannot just hope a scandal will just go away. Do the right thing. Always. Own up. Apologize. Change your behavior.

Is it possible Miner might have an issue with drinking/mental health/etc, and he was just wasted when he sent those messages? I'd go with that angle. "I would never say these things! blah blah. I'm addressing my personal issues and will show everyone that I am NOT the kind of person who would write those things!" Something like that. Otherwise, if that's how he engages with Asians normally, well, he needs to find a different career. Despicable.

 

[Matryeshka]

So, what exactly did the tweets say? They were taken down before I could read them. From here, it seems like his racism was mostly against Asians? Between this and Naomi Osaka, something more serious has to be done than a six-month suspension. As a people--all humans--need to crack down on this racism HARD.

I also remember Maia and Ross having a thing years ago @CassAgain . But then again, I know a lot of gross people who fetishize Asian women and would see no problem dating someone of Asian descent and then turn around and saying horribly racist things on the internet and to their friends. There's still a big section of mostly men, but not always, who look at Asian women as being small, sexual, demure objects and not people. This needs to STOP.

 

[Vagabond]

So, what exactly did the tweets say? They were taken down before I could read them.

The messages were disgusting, vile, explicitly sexual, full of racial stereotyping cliches and words on a par with the "N" word.

For obvious reasons, the messages should not be quoted in this forum.

 

[bethy135]

Curious why you guys think its often the higher ranked skaters that do this kind of stuff...

Because higher ranked skaters have more leverage with peers and people in power within the skating community. They have allies who would never believe they could do anything egregious. Less powerful skaters and their families are scared of them.

 

[bethy135]

The cases that involve higher ranked skaters get more publicity than the other cases. Many of the suspended people are not that well-known.

But those lesser known people probably exerted power and influence within their smaller local community.

 

[hoptoad]

I find it surprising too that MJM hadn't put out a statement peremptorily. Is Miner the Rink Director at their rink like our friend Vinny in Florida? If anything should have been learned from the Zimmerman situation, it is that a rink cannot just hope a scandal will just go away. Do the right thing. Always. Own up. Apologize. Change your behavior.

Did the Florida rink suffer any significant consequences? Did many coaches or skaters leave?

Maybe people are learning that scandals happen and don't really matter much in the long run. I hope that's not the case and I do hope MJM will do better.

 

[bethy135]

Did the Florida rink suffer any significant consequences? Did many coaches or skaters leave?

Maybe people are learning that scandals happen and don't really matter much in the long run. I hope that's not the case and I do hope MJM will do better.

my thoughts EXACTLY.

 

[Yuri]

So, what exactly did the tweets say? They were taken down before I could read them. From here, it seems like his racism was mostly against Asians?

Imagine Cartman sexually harassing an Asian woman on South Park and you would be getting pretty close...

Actually, the deleted tweet that I saw had a link to a movie created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the South Park creators. The alleged messages were very much inline with that sort of juvenile, potty-mouthed, politically incorrect humor from Stone/Parker.

 

[saturdaysun]

I'm so disgusted by this and glad to join the conversation here rather than elsewhere where the usual "maybe he was hacked" nonsense is taking over the discourse.

 

[VGThuy]

I'm so disgusted by this and glad to join the conversation here rather than elsewhere where the usual "maybe he was hacked" nonsense is taking over the discourse.

Someone is trying to argue that without proof or the fact that he himself did not present that argument?

 

[Lacey]

I am so very sad for any skaters pulled into this by Ross. But I am not sad for Ross, he should have known better. And six months' punishment is NOT ENOUGH!

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Someone is trying to argue that without proof or the fact that he himself did not present that argument?

Plenty of people on this forum tried to make arguments for Morgan that he himself did not make so I can’t say this surprises me.

 

[overedge]

Boston Globe story, with quotes from SC of Boston rep:

Former star figure skater and local coach Ross Miner suspended for sexual harassment - The Boston Globe

Miner represented the Skating Club of Boston for more than 15 years and now coaches at the Mitchell Johansson Method in Revere.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[ioana]

I had to re-read both the SafeSport release and USA Today article, because I was convinced that 6 month suspension was in effect while investigation was still in progress. Nope, turns out that's the extend of the actual punishment. And then people wonder why the abuse culture carries on like nothing ever happened. Because these suspensions are so short, they basically amount to nothing.

I actually skated on quite a few freestyle sessions with Ross, including a random Cranberry Open session where they put him on the ice with adults and pre-juv kids. He was always polite and very considerate of others' space for such a high level skater. Goes to show you literally never know what goes on behind closed doors. I know there are 'weren't there warning signs' questions every time something like this happens. I for one never saw any. We see so many abuses power in skating being reported now -all of them directed at kids- that I hope USFSA tries to address this.

And, hopefully whoever was on the receiving end of snapchat messages was able to move on without too many lasting side effects.

 

[Tavi]

Someone is trying to argue that without proof or the fact that he himself did not present that argument?

Since SafeSport investigations are confidential, there’s no public evidence as to what he was charged with beyond “sexual harassment.” We don’t know what’s in the record or what arguments he presented. Someone published the screenshots on Twitter alleging that they were related to the SafeSport charges, and then deleted the Tweets.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Disgustingly vulgar behavior from Ross. I am proud to say I always found his skating to be pedestrian and second-tier at best.

I certainly hope Heidi runs for the hills.

-BB

 

[VGThuy]

Since SafeSport investigations are confidential, there’s no public evidence as to what he was charged with beyond “sexual harassment.” We don’t know what’s in the record or what arguments he presented. Someone published the screenshots on Twitter alleging that they were related to the SafeSport charges, and then deleted the Tweets.

Surely, if he had been “hacked” that would have came out since it’s essentially an argument for complete innocence since he in no way committed the act of which he was accused, which there was evidence of as shown by the deleted tweets. And since it seems the SafeSport investigation seems to have concluded, nothing is stopping him from screaming on top of his lungs that he has been hacked and he is totally innocent. Even the accused in confidential criminal investigations by law enforcement can speak and publicly attest to their innocence if they want to. If he had been hacked, you bet he would be shouting that all day today rather than deleting or suspending his social media accounts once this all came out.

 

[caseyedwards]

All the details have been deleted and kept secret so because the suspension is so minimal have to conclude their was some belief it was bad flirting more than anything else

 

[Judy]

If Ross wrote all those things, what a miserable excuse for a human being. Disgusted with his behavior.

What did he write? The link didn’t work for me.