The smear of Judge Brett Kavanaugh widens. USA Today writer Erik Brady suggests the Supreme Court nominee stay off basketball courts while kids are around. Kavanaugh predicted this could happen, during Thursday's Senate Judicial Committee hearing. He said the taint of smear could result in the loss of his opportunity to volunteer as a youth coach again. Brady's pointed remarks proved the nominee a man who understands the full ramifications of the attacks against him.
Brady was only getting warmed up. He practically compares Kavanaugh to the notorious Larry Nasser, a former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor sentenced to 40-175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 150 women and girls. Later USA Today removed the mention on Nasser in comparison to the Kavanaugh situation, along with a photo of the judge coaching children. Later USA Today removed the mention of Nasser in comparison to the Kavanaugh situation, along with a photo of the judge coaching children.
Sympathetic to Christine Blasey Ford, who charged Kavanaugh with attempted rape 36 years ago, Brady talked with the Archdiocese in Washington, D.C., about Kavanaugh's potential coaching future. The judge is a veteran volunteer coach for his daughters and 4th-, 5th- and 6th-grade girls at Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish in Washington.
Edward McFadden, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington, said a coach accused of sexual misconduct will be put through "the full legal process." If convicted of sexual assault, he'll be banned from coaching. Kavanaugh has previously been fingerprinted and put through background checks to clear him for coaching children.
If Kavanaugh is found innocent of wrongdoing by the FBI, coaching could still be problematic for him. McFadden said, “It may be impossible for him to coach. Imagine being in a public gym where people could come in and be disrupting. I’m not sure he was referring to the claim (of sexual misconduct), but the overall environment. He has no record and has no criminal background. He’s gone through the (training) process. He can coach.”
"But should he?" a skeptical Brady asks. "The U.S. Center for SafeSport was established in 2017 to investigate misconduct claims in the U.S. Olympic movement. It does not cover youth sports such as the CYO. But its policies are nevertheless instructive," Brady writes.
Kavanaugh "just might be right," about losing the opportunity to coach, says Brady. "Oh, not the part about blaming Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee – that’s just to avoid placing blame on his wholly sympathetic accuser – but the may-never-coach-again part. The nation is newly vigilant on who coaches and trains its children given recent scandals in gymnastics and other sports."
Brady came on much stronger in a tweet seen in the photo above, stating:
"The U.S. Senate may yet confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, but he should stay off basketball courts for now when kids are around."
Parents of the girls Kavanaugh coached at Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament describe a far different Kavanaugh than the person Brady assumes he is. In August, 37 sets of parents of the current and former elementary school girls' basketball players coached by Kavanaugh submitted a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders portraying the man they call "Coach K" as a leader of impeccable character:
"Brett Kavanaugh’s dedication and commitment as a volunteer youth basketball coach is a great illustration of his character. He took the role, and his responsibility to each of his players (and their parents), seriously. It would not be uncommon for parents to receive a note from Brett about something great their daughter did in practice that night. And even after his former players 2 had moved on to play in high school, Brett Kavanaugh would follow their development and success with pride.
"Coach K’s dedication and commitment over these past several years paid off this past season when his 5th/6th grade Blessed Sacrament Bulldogs team won the City Championship."
The parents characterized Kavanaugh as composed and respectful, qualities he also expected of his players. The parents said he encouraged his players in a positive way to be as competitive as they could be, while also having fun. Their girls have fond memories of playing for Coach K.
Fox and Friends discussed the Brady article Friday and displayed his over-the-top tweet. Griff Jenkins said, "We have, in so many ways, crossed a line as to how we destroy people's lives," and asked what this does to Kavanaugh in terms of being involved in his children's lives.
Whether or not Kavanaugh is cleared by the FBI, the stain of character assassination may subject him and his family to harassment in public places, as Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Ted Cruz previously experienced. Coaching could be one of the casualties of Coach K's new life beyond the smear, regardless of the outcome of the FBI investigation.
