Scandal in Illinois hockey as The Athletic exposes systematic abuse (SEE WARNING POST #96)

[tarheelhockey]

I know it’s the NHL board, but this needs to be talked about. If you really need an NHL connection, Leafs draftee Chris Jensen figures prominently. [update: and now Frank Pietrangelo]

The Athletic’s Katie Strang, who did heavy lifting to expose the Larry Nassar abuse case at Team USA and Michigan State University, just published an article documenting over 30 years of systematic sex abuse by prominent youth/college hockey coach Chico Adrahtas.

Former players say Chicago area hockey coach sexually abused...

Despite being widely suspected of systematically abusing his players, and repeatedly leaving abruptly or being fired from teams as rumors caught up with him, Adrahtas was continually re-hired into the following programs:

Budweiser Jets, IL
Franklin Park Jets, IL
University of Minnesota
Franklin Park Jets, IL
Chicago Patriots
Chicago Young Americans
Team Illinois midgets
Midwest Goalie School
Danville Wings (NAHL/USHL)
Chicago Mission
Robert Morris University

He was up for induction to the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 when Chris Jensen finally stepped forward with a formal letter of protest that detailed Adrahtas’ long history of grooming his players for abuse. That was 10 years ago and the scandal just went public.

Adrahtas has never been charged, despite police knowledge of the allegations. He was allowed, once again, to resign without resistance from Robert Morris University in late 2018 and the university appears to be backing him against the allegations and defending their lack of action.

This is like an American answer to Graham James, with several prominent hockey organizations in a position of culpability for knowing and looking the other way. The official statements from multiple Robert Morris officials are clearly coming from a “lawsuit protection” angle.

Click to read more...

 

[Blueblood9]

This is disgraceful/disturbing/disgusting/gross. Theres a special place in hell for guys like him and nassar. I just dont get how organizations just sweep these things under the rug. Everyone involved in the cover up should be put in prison. This is going to continue until the people that hide and help in these situations get punished.

 

[serp]

This is disgraceful/disturbing/disgusting/gross. Theres a special place in hell for guys like him and nassar. I just dont get how organizations just sweep these things under the rug. Everyone involved in the cover up should be put in prison. This is going to continue until the people that hide and help in these situations get punished.

Catholic church did the same thing. Just send the Priests who sexually abused kids elsewhere and warned nobody in the new location about it and unsuprisingly it happened again and again.

 

[Lotusflower]

Beneath the lily white exterior hockey can be a dark place. Hopefully the victims find some modicum of justice.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Catholic church did the same thing. Just send the Priests who sexually abused kids elsewhere and warned nobody in the new location about it and unsuprisingly it happened again and again.

That seems to be the parallel to what happened here. Adrahtas would get hired somewhere, freak out a bunch of kids and parents with his schtick*, the rumors would surface, he would quit. A few months later he would be hired elsewhere, and nobody would say anything except sharing rumors behind the scenes which he would deny. This pattern repeated half a dozen times.

The truly disturbing thing is that he was subject to at least two formal investigations without any consequence. He just kept moving.


* for those who can’t read the article, his schtick was to get close to vulnerable players and then trick them into oral sex with a “woman” they couldn’t see or touch (Adrahtas himself). There’s strong evidence that he prostituted his players to other men using this technique.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Throw him in jail. Statute of limitations be damned.

 

[MXD]

This is indeed huge and Adrahtas should get EdwardIIed for that.

(Hereby realizing my lifelong dream of making a verb out of something containing roman numerals)

 

[Bounces R Way]

Time after time these predators find themselves in prominent positions of authority being protected from the consequences of their actions by a system that has no formal accountability. It will keep happening.

 

[Cruoris]

"Yes but did he apologized tho???"





I second the motion to have him Edward II'd.

 

[romba]

The official statements from multiple Robert Morris officials are clearly coming from a “lawsuit protection” angle.

The...uhhhh...allegations we've ....errrr... *checks notes....*recently come aware of.....are to be taken...uhhhh.... of course....very seriously....errrr...especially uhhhh in light of recent other....errrr alleged scandals....At this time....*wipes forehead sweat*....we will withhold all....errrr....further comments until the investigation.....is....errrr....completed. Of course....*tugs down tie*.....we stand by all....*checks notes* alleged victims......and errr.....that is all.

 

[tny760]

we will expose systematic sexual abuse!

after you pay us $10 a month to read about it!

offer ends in 17 minutes!

 

[romba]

Time after time these predators find themselves in prominent positions of authority being protected from the consequences of their actions by a system that has no formal accountability. It will keep happening.

True. It's the CYA approach until the media storm blows up and then CYA a different way approach. No one wants blame for hiring a known evil predator which can cause a turn over in big wigs so they just deal with it quietly and pass the buck. Bull f***ing shit.

 

[swimmer77]

Seems like different things have to fall in place to get these predators behind bars. Victims have to come forth. Needs to be a whistleblower(s). I am just thinking of the Penn State scandal as I am typing. And I'll never be a Penn State fan because of that scandel. My friends use to tell me "but the kids there now shouldn't be punished (meaning NCAA team sanctions)". My answer to that is/was always how do you do know they didn't know something and never came forth? Ditto for all this hazing stuff that's been going on. End. of. Rant.

Just needs to be more of a collective effort at different levels to stop this crap from happening. So sad and disgusting.

 

[Sam Spade]

Another sucky conversation I had to have with my child when he turned around ten years old.

"Remember son if a coach asks to see you alone and attempts anything that makes you uncomfortable, you come to me right away". "If you are showering a coach should NEVER be in there with you, come tell me right away if he is". "A coach trying to pat you on the back is different than a coach putting his hands other places"

Every season the same conversation just pushing it further into more age appropriate stuff.

I do want to say USA Hockey (and local organizations) are trying hard, in my sons league you can not get anywhere near the locker room unless you have done a background check AND done the SafeSport class. I know this story is way bigger than that but it's a start.

 

[kingsholygrail]

This is why it's important to always encourage victims to come forward ASAP. If someone is abusing you, you have to reach out. Easier said than done, I know, but it's the best way to catch these guys early. They are societal cancer and are harder to put away the longer they get away with it.

 

[Mrfenn92]

This guy doesnt deserve to live. Complete piece of crap.

 

[I am toxic]

Brutal.

Mindsets need to change. Two Deep rule needs to be followed exactingly, no exceptions.

Here in the lower mainland, this surfaced recently. I won't say anything about it but those in the know will understand why I am bringing it up in this thread.

 

[Frank Drebin]

we will expose systematic sexual abuse!

after you pay us $10 a month to read about it!

offer ends in 17 minutes!

motion to ban all articles from the athletic, say i

 

[tarheelhockey]

we will expose systematic sexual abuse!

after you pay us $10 a month to read about it!

offer ends in 17 minutes!

What is Katie Strang supposed to do, work for free? She did over 100 interviews to prep the article.

She exposed a ****ing serial pedophile, I’d say $10 a month is the least of the concerns here.

 

[Blueblood9]

Catholic church did the same thing. Just send the Priests who sexually abused kids elsewhere and warned nobody in the new location about it and unsuprisingly it happened again and again.

and as aa catholic this is why i havnt been to chruch in 20 yrs

 

[Nick Hansen]

Catholic church did the same thing. Just send the Priests who sexually abused kids elsewhere and warned nobody in the new location about it and unsuprisingly it happened again and again.

Same with religious Jews:

"The same thing that is going on in the Catholic Church right now around the world, the exact same thing is happening in our community," JCW's founder Meyer Seewald told CBS News. "The cover-ups are the same, the stigma, the shame."

Seewald says tightly-knit Jewish communities across the U.S. will sometimes meet accusations against a member with incredulity, and that can have a chilling effect.

"Everyone goes and surrounds this individual and supports him because they can't believe a person can do such a crime. They take the abuser's side and the abuse continues," Seewald says. "They put him in another community. A few years later, he's done the same thing and we hear more allegations that the person is abusing children. Victims don't want to come forward when they see that."

JCW says the majority of its cases originate from modern Orthodox to Ultra-orthodox Jewish enclaves in the U.S., but that it happens across the wider Jewish community.

How Jewish American pedophiles hide from justice in Israel

 

[Trinstin]

Don't know how posting this here helps anyone, except to acknowledge that bad people get a heck of a lot further in this world than good ones do. [MOD]

 

[tarheelhockey]

Don't know how posting this here helps anyone,

I’d say 30 years is long enough for it to be buried.

 

[Trinstin]

I’d say 30 years is long enough for it to be buried.

Its just energy aimed in the wrong direction I think. Maybe 30 years ago it would have done some good.

 

[Eisen]

Can't say I'm surprised anymore. Far too many stories like that are happening. Good thing it comes out.