If a fired assistant coach and three athletes are to be believed, Utah State University gymnastics coach Ray Corn is a lunatic. An unstable man who tolerates sexual harassment, verbally abuses his athletes and even assaults his assistants.
I just don't believe them.
I have no vested interest in the current mess in Logan. I don't know Ray Corn from Creamed Corn. I have been in attendance at two or three gymnastics meets in which he was involved, but that's it. Nor do I know accuser Mark Lee, the assistant who was fired after this season, or the three gymnasts, Sarah Colson, Kyla Mattioli and Kim Scharman.
But I do know manipulation when I see it.
Corn's coaching techniques came to light in a recent Logan Herald Journal article detailing the complaints of Lee and several gymnasts. The impetus was apparently Lee's firing. Corn and Lee disagreed on numerous occasions over the past few years. Eventually the tension became so great that Lee was let go.
In the wake of that firing, Lee and the aforementioned gymnasts accused Corn of ignoring inappropriate behavior by a male assistant trainer, using vulgarities and mentally abusing athletes, particularly one he caught smoking. Lee also said Corn threw him against a wall and threatened him with a fist. They accused another assistant coach, Ernestine Russell, of also verbally abusing the athletes.
Incriminating stuff — until you look closer.
The main accusers are an assistant coach who was fired and three gymnasts who were only marginal members of last season's team. Colson competed in only two meets last year, Mattioli competed in just one and Scharman, whose mother spoke on her daughter's behalf, did not compete due to an injury. The Deseret News reported Monday that "a couple of the gymnasts named as complainants were dismissed from the team at season's end . . ."
That's not the most credible collection of witnesses.
All the aforementioned accusers have a reason to be mad at Corn, and it appears to have more to do with job security and "playing time" than abuse.
When I was in school I had a basketball coach who sometimes swore at us. He used to threaten physical mayhem if we didn't run the plays correctly. I didn't like the guy. But a large part of that had nothing to do with his treatment of players. It had to do with the fact I didn't play as much as I wanted. None of the starters had a problem with him. Imagine that.
The only "regular" identified in the Herald Journal article was Allison Rosenthal, who said, "I do think, at times, a line was crossed this year."
Whatever that was.
Lee's allegations of assault are no reason to discipline or fire Corn. This is athletics, not mathematics. Coaches often vehemently disagree. In the late 1970s, two BYU football assistants got into a fight in the press box, arguing how best to run the offense. One ended up punching the other in the neck or face with his forearm before the fight was broken up.
Was it assault? No. It was two coaches who got a little overheated. Big deal.
There is also the matter of the "good coach/bad coach" effect. Every staff in every sport has a head coach who makes the decisions. There is often at least one assistant who ends up commiserating with athletes who feel they don't get a fair chance. Assistant coaches are often more popular among players than head coaches. They can agree with disgruntled athletes and say things would be different if they were calling the shots. Sometimes it undermines the head coach's authority — which Corn's defenders at USU say was part of the problem he had with Lee.
Colson accused Corn of using a vulgarity when he caught her smoking. So what? Some coaches would kick a player off the team for such a blatant violation of proper training.
Accusations of Corn tolerating sexual harassment remain vague. No complaint has been filed with the university or the police. When Corn was informed the trainer in question made one or two athletes feel "uncomfortable," he had him moved to another sport.
No one outside team members and staff knows all the details of this controversy. But this much is certain: There are gymnasts who both support and oppose Corn. That's not unusual on any team. But I don't see abuse. I see an assistant coach who is angry over being terminated and two or three gymnasts who didn't get enough competition time. I see accusations, but nothing beyond ordinary competitive athletics. I see a head coach who has been at the school 26 seasons and never been accused of unacceptable behavior. Corn is widely respected, not only for his record (even Bob Knight has that), but his professional demeanor.
And before I see things differently, I'll need more than self-motivated accusations to change my mind.
E-mail: rock@desnews.com