Yesterday, I gave the daily onion to Attorney General Dana Nessel for her handling of the most recent charges of former Governor Rick Snyder, Nick Lyon and others. Today I will be giving the daily orchid to Attorney General Nessel for her creative use of human trafficking and forced labor charges against gymnastics coach John Geddert. This is not the normal type of human trafficking cases we read about. From everything I have read today, the charges fit the legal criteria. Although we will never find out, in Geddert’s case, if the charges would stand up in court, I hope this sends a strong message to others who are complicit in allowing abuses in any future case that is similar to the Dr. Nassar or Dr. Anderson cases.
Today, as I read reports on the charges that were filed against John Geddert, my stomach began to churn with disgust. It was the same feeling I had when reading and following the Larry Nassar case two years ago. The physical and emotional abuse Geddert put his gymnasts through is sickening. In some cases he caused the injuries to the gymnasts and then forced the gymnasts to see his friend Larry Nassar where the gymnasts were than sexually abused. In the meantime, parents and gymnasts were afraid to speak up because they were afraid it would hurt their child’s chances for college scholarships and olympic gold.
I hope all parents of athletes, not just gymnasts, learn from these terrible cases. As a sports official and parent of athletes, I have seen a lot in my 50 years of doing this. A large majority of coaches, trainers and team physicians have the best interest of the student athletes in mind.. However, I also know of cases where it is not the case. (Think Nassar, Anderson, Geddert, Penn State and OSU) I hope parents understand that they need to be doing what is best for their child-athlete in the long run. They should never put blind trust in anyone when it comes to their child. There is more to life than a college scholarship or a gold medal.
On a brighter note, MSU men’s basketball appears to be back on track. In less than 72 hours they beat the number 4 and 5 teams in the country. With victories over Indiana and Maryland , and a split with Michigan in their final four games, MSU should keep their streak of NCAA tournaments alive. It is a not a surprise that MSU is peaking in late February and early March. I just hope it is not too late.
Our time in Gulf Shores Alabama is coming to an end. We will be heading home on Sunday. Today we went on our last bike ride in the Gulf State Park. We said goodbye to Lefty, our favorite alligator. Lefty was very cooperative and was only a few feet from the fence and facing us with her beautiful smile and some very long teeth. While riding our bikes back to the car, we ran into a new friend. A baby copperhead rattlesnake was on the side of the bike path hissing and rattling at everyone who went by. He was curled up and wanting to strike out at anyone who got close. He was a cute little bugger.
Stay safe. Wear your mask. Social distance. Wash your hands regularly. Schedule your vaccine.
Quote of the Day: “You had this good cop, bad cop dynamic that worked beautifully,” “John would beat us up and break us down both mentally and physically and then send us back to Larry, who would give us a tissue to dry our tears and sexually abuse us. Then he’d send us back to John, often on broken bones and pulled muscles, so the cycle could start all over again.” Sarah Klein, 41, who has said she was abused by both Nassar and Geddert.
Orchid of the Day: Attorney General Dana Nessel for reasons stated above.
Onion of the Day: Senator Mitch McConnell for saying he would support Donald Trump if he ran for President in 2024. This is coming from the man who lectured the world following Trump’s acquital of impeachment charges on the guilt of Trump for insighting the January 6 insurrection. Politicians never cease to amaze me.