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Press Release
Date: March 14, 2023
From: Martin J. Greenberg, Attorney for S.A.F.E.
Subject: Saratoga Spring School District – Athletics Department
We are in receipt and have reviewed the report of Harris Beach regarding the actions and inaction of the administrators of the Saratoga Springs School District (District). We thank Harris Beach for their work in this matter in reviewing thousands of pages of documentation from the District. Over the past ten years, I’ve handled approximately 25 cases involving alleged abuse at some of the largest and most prominent NCAA athletic programs in our country. This may be one of the worst cases of alleged abuse we will ever come across. We stand by our position statement as submitted.
First and foremost, the health, safety and wellbeing of student-athletes is paramount. We must note that the refusal of witnesses to talk shows the fear of retaliation and retribution, along with being possibly ostracized by their community, is real. The need to remain anonymous is entirely acceptable in whistleblower situations to provide people with a sense of safety and security in discussing their experiences in cases like this. These experiences were detailed in writing both to the District and in our position statement. Many of the student-athletes we have spoken with have persistent effects, and some of these student-athletes still carry the scars caused by these coaches from the alleged abuse. The brave souls that stepped up to tell their truth help prevent further damage to student-athletes and make it easier for others to come forward knowing that they are not alone in their experiences.
We believe this report shows how the District, through its own documentation, failed to take precautions to protect student-athletes from danger, failed to adopt and enforce their own policies and procedures, and failed to monitor and prevent employees from causing harm to student-athletes. Even when the District did take action, there was a failure to follow through with enforcement of the actions and changes demanded. Across the board, we believe the District failed in their fiduciary duty to their student-athletes and such failure allowed multiple counts of alleged physical and mental abuse to occur. The claims of alleged abuse from student-athletes and their parents were left unattended in many cases. Administrators did not do what they should have done, that is stamp out the alleged abuse in their District’s athletic department and recognize the concept of zero tolerance when it comes to abuse. This appears to be a case and example of what not to do.
I praise the student-athletes and their parents who came forward to try to effectuate change by not only bringing this to the attention of the District, yet again, but to highlight these matters for school districts throughout the country. A culture of abuse should not be permitted. Administrators who look the other way should be fired. They should never turn a blind eye in the quest for victory at any cost. Every school district’s top priority, as custodians of our future leaders, should be the health, safety, and welfare of the students.
We believe that after 30 years of the District’s failure to improve the conditions for student-athletes it is time for the state to step in to assess the situation and right the ship of this athletic department. There is a culture of lack of enforcement that has run rampant for decades. For a large segment of the community there has been a loss of faith in the District’s ability to conform their athletic department to appropriate standards to maintain the safety and wellbeing of their student-athletes.
Download a PDF of this press release.