Sano Denies - "It didn't Happen",

[strumdatjaguar]

Today's STRIB article includes a denial provided by Sano, that does not appear to be written in a way Sano would speak (after watching many of his interviews).   The statement was clearly written by his lawyer.  Nevertheless, it is a complete denial.  Butch Davis also makes a complete denial of accusations from the same accuser.   A prompt reporting of the alleged misconduct could have led to a viewing of the Ridgedale Mall's surveillance recordings.  After two years, these are almost certainly destroyed.  For those who believe these accusations are always or almost always true - go look up the case of Emmet Till and then read about the Duke Lacrosse team, and then go read about Mattress girl at Columbia Univ . . . Fairness requires that the accused persons as well as the accuser be given fairness in the investigation of this matter.   .

[Mr. Brooks]

With the language barrier, and potential legal or civil repercussions, it is completely understandable to me that it would be prepared by someone else.

[mazeville]

 

With the language barrier, and potential legal or civil repercussions, it is completely understandable to me that it would be prepared by someone else.

 

Well, and ALL public figures would have someone else write this. Language in this instance has nothing to do with it. Rich people have spokespeople.

 

 

[strumdatjaguar]

Unfortunately, the lawyer should have avoided making it look like "spin" with its gratuitous statement on how Sano  "deeply sympathizes" with those who have been sexually harassed.   C'mon, Miggy hasn't previously weighed in (possible bad pun) on the issues of the day.  I did a quick internet search and found nothing on  the hurricanes in the Carribean for example.   Nevertheless, both Sano and Butch Davis are completely denying the accusations.   Credibility should not be presumed, although a less lawyerly and more Sano-esque denial would have been more credible

[Dman]

I think it was dangerous to go with an absolute denial.  The witness is credible, doesn’t appear to be looking for money or attention, in fact she was worried about not being able to do something she loved by saying something sooner.  So if any eye witness or evidence comes to light that proves she was there and something happened then that flat out denial is going to look really, really bad.  He will be labeled untrustworthy in these matters forever.

 

 

They also need to hope that yet another person does not come forward that had something similar happen that would poke serious holes as well.

 

 

On the other hand if no evidence comes to light then this pretty much ends as a he said she said argument.

[strumdatjaguar]

It's all about the corroboration of the accusation. At this time, Sano's denial is corroborated by the denial by Butch Davis (especially for those of you who believe multiple accusations add to the credibility of the accusations, like Roy Moore - the same should hold true for multiple denials of similar accusations).  She may have as good reason in her mind for the delay in reporting.   However, the delay alone makes the accusation less credible and also makes it less fair (since it denies the accused the ability to potentially prove innocence via the Mall surveillance recordings and by interviewing other witnesses before their memories fade)

[Twins33]

The problem is, even if she reported it right away, these same people would still call her a liar. That's sadly how these things go. The victim is always to blame because the person we watch on tv couldn't have possibly done this.

 

Telling that five former teammates/current teammates/people who know Sano said they are not surprised Sano has been accused. Jeff Passan article. Also an usher for the Lookouts said they had to keep female ushers away from the dugout because of Sano.

[Teddy]

 

The problem is, even if she reported it right away, these same people would still call her a liar. That's sadly how these things go. The victim is always to blame because the person we watch on tv couldn't have possibly done this.

Telling that five former teammates/current teammates/people who know Sano said they are not surprised Sano has been accused. Jeff Passan article. Also an usher for the Lookouts said they had to keep female ushers away from the dugout because of Sano.

 

I am concerned about the second point you outlined above, which, if accurate, goes to the credibility of Sano and his denial.

 

As for the actual accusation, I believe that I read that in her original claim that others were with them at the time, including Rob Plummer, Sano's former agent. I've read elsewhere that Plummer denies witnessing the alleged assault. If, as she claims, Sano spent ten minutes trying to lure her down a hallway, one would think that someone, including those who she claims were present at the time, would know something about this incident.

[bunsen82]

 

The problem is, even if she reported it right away, these same people would still call her a liar. That's sadly how these things go. The victim is always to blame because the person we watch on tv couldn't have possibly done this.

Telling that five former teammates/current teammates/people who know Sano said they are not surprised Sano has been accused. Jeff Passan article. Also an usher for the Lookouts said they had to keep female ushers away from the dugout because of Sano.

I disagree.  You don't always dismiss the accusations.  In this case what has hurt her is already provable misstatements hurt some credibility as well as waiting two years.  My guess is this string is going to get moved to the sportsbar. 

 

Plus there would be more evidence to support her claims.  People actually remember seeing her pulled into a hallway or video of this.  That is all long gone.  Actually bruising to support physically manhandling her.  This will only result in a slap on the wrist, if this really happened as stated he should be in jail. 

[zenser]

I don't know Betsy or Sano and I really haven't been in or around a situation where this has happened to close family or friends.  By reading her side of the story, I do feel horrible that this happened to her and wish her the best.  Hopefully getting her story out will help her and hopefully sends a wake up call to Sano.  If it is true, I hope it prevents Sano from doing it again.

 

Again, I do not know either party here.  I have read her statement a few times and I believe it.  I do have questions like others do about the 10 minutes.  Where were the agent and her boss?  What were they doing for the 10 minutes?  Was there a chance for her to leave in that half hour when they were at the Apple Store?  She said she went along to not make a scene, could something have been said to her boss without making a scene?  Did she take pictures of her injuries?  Some of these things we will probably never know.

 

I just wish her and other victims like her the best when dealing with an ordeal like this.

[h2oface]

Damn. A third article/entry about the same thing? Sano denied it yesterday, too. It seems this might be an unnecessary repetitive thread.

[Twins33]

I am concerned about the second point you outlined above, which, if accurate, goes to the credibility of Sano and his denial.

 

As for the actual accusation, I believe that I read that in her original claim that others were with them at the time, including Rob Plummer, Sano's former agent. I've read elsewhere that Plummer denies witnessing the alleged assault. If, as she claims, Sano spent ten minutes trying to lure her down a hallway, one would think that someone, including those who she claims were present at the time, would know something about this incident.

Im sure there are witnesses, but will they tell the truth? That's also the problem in this.

 

People are quick to say she's lying but a witness can also lie as well. That's what is unfortunate. Who do you believe? We do not need people committing these kind of acts and then getting away with them. I hope there is footage in the loading dock, because it really is her best chance. The problem with that is, most people are saying no one would even keep the footage for more than a couple of months.

 

That hurts her, but she said she's not trying to get anything out of this. She's actually putting herself completely on the line here because she could be sued. I have a hard time believing it's not true because of all of the bad things that can happen to her, some of those things already are. It's not worth it if it's made up.

[ashbury]

Damn. A third article/entry about the same thing? Sano denied it yesterday, too. It seems this might be an unnecessary repetitive thread.

The moderators are feeling their way on this, same as everybody. In general we lean toward combining threads that talk about the same topic, to make it less necessary to check multiple places to continue the discussion. OTOH long threads get unwieldy, and it's possible in this particular topic that every new day brings new information to consider. If a multitude of threads gets in the way of having good discussion, we'll probably take some steps to consolidate after a while.

[ashbury]

The problem is, even if she reported it right away, these same people would still call her a liar.

Wrong, but keep projecting what you think others would do if it makes you feel better.

Moderator's note: Please avoid making references personal, or trying to read what's in people's minds. This is often where bickering starts.

[Doctor Wu]

What strikes me about this incident and similar ones in recent months is the rush to judgement by so many people. This is dangerous and disturbing territory. I've lost count of the number of people saying that something should be done to Sano: fine him, suspend him, release him, trade him. Obviously this is a serious issue, and people care very much about it, but I think we would be wise to let the dust settle and try and get a fair and balanced account of what happened or didn't happen. In this current climate of accusations flying left and right, I think the public needs to be VERY wary of casting judgement before both sides have had their chance to make their case.

[glunn]

 

Moderator's note: Please avoid making references personal, or trying to read what's in people's minds. This is often where bickering starts.

Ditto, and I have deleted the posts that contained and responded to this.

[mikecgrimes]

Not that any of this stuff is OK, but my bar for when someone should face major suspension (more then 5 games) or worse yet be fired is somewhat high.  Once Al Franken was forced to resign I felt like this issue was leaving the tracks and questioned if it would enter sports as I would guess something upward of 10% of pro athletes have done things far worse then what Franken is accused of doing.  Some of these guys aren't great humans, as a ticket buyer I expect the stars to be on the field when healthy/rested unless something far beyond accusations of a borderline criminal actions is in play.  What happens if a (mostly self selected) random 10% of the league misses the first 10+ games of the season because of similar accusations?  The player might deserve it but I'm not sure the fans do.  In politics and to a lesser extent sports the incentive to accuse does exist.  Exaggerated details of a real event can turn nothing into something, and if the league/employer/political party don't want to look bad they will take the side of better to wrongly punish then not.  

 

It's a very real issue, but whats happening right now doesn't feel like it's helping anyone outside of creating awareness.

[PseudoSABR]

 

  It's a very real issue, but whats happening right now doesn't feel like it's helping anyone outside of creating awareness.

Which actually does help people, as the issue is systemic, and not mere aberrations by a few bad apples.

[one_eyed_jack]

 

Which actually does help people, as the issue is systemic, and not mere aberrations by a few bad apples.

 

Awareness helps, but calling attention to a problem and solving it are 2 different things.

 

I'm concerned that the 'me too' movement is starting to run into some of the same issues that have made Black Lives Matter less effective than it could have been at prompting real change.  Even though it's shining a light of serious but long-ignored abuses of power that have harmed a lot of people, it has no clearly defined leadership or objectives.  It's just a hashtag that people start attaching to so many different issues that its meaning becomes diluted.

[drjim]

Not that any of this stuff is OK, but my bar for when someone should face major suspension (more then 5 games) or worse yet be fired is somewhat high. Once Al Franken was forced to resign I felt like this issue was leaving the tracks and questioned if it would enter sports as I would guess something upward of 10% of pro athletes have done things far worse then what Franken is accused of doing. Some of these guys aren't great humans, as a ticket buyer I expect the stars to be on the field when healthy/rested unless something far beyond accusations of a borderline criminal actions is in play. What happens if a (mostly self selected) random 10% of the league misses the first 10+ games of the season because of similar accusations? The player might deserve it but I'm not sure the fans do. In politics and to a lesser extent sports the incentive to accuse does exist. Exaggerated details of a real event can turn nothing into something, and if the league/employer/political party don't want to look bad they will take the side of better to wrongly punish then not.

 

It's a very real issue, but whats happening right now doesn't feel like it's helping anyone outside of creating awareness.

A US Senator and a 20 something athlete should be held to different standards with different consequences.

 

And awareness should be raised in all spheres of society.