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The resignation of Norwood Teague at Minnesota

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Moderator1, Aug 9, 2015.

  1. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I'm sure she had a million different thoughts, Cran, all unpleasant ones. But I'd bet anything that the attitude of her employer towards learning what happened did more than cross her mind.
     
  2. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Hey, what did the bartender say?
    That should wrap this up pretty quick. :cool:
     
    LongTimeListener likes this.
  3. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Why wouldn't Rayno's paper have backed her up if she decided to go public and go forward with any case related to this?

    Those texts were many and damning. As I posted earlier, if I'd ever been in such a situation and felt strongly enough about it to go to my bosses and/or file an official record of it with HR, and we all knew I had actual evidence to back it up, I would have expected the paper's strongest support in the matter.

    As it was, I happened to have been driving home from work and this situation and thread came to mind. And the more I thought about it, the more I really questioned that the StarTribune seemingly didn't take action with/against Teague or go to the higher powers that be at Minnesota about it, almost whether Rayno wanted that, or not.

    I know the paper left it up to Rayno regarding how to handle the situation, and it sounds like it just did what the reporter wanted. But really, the paper actually was seriously risking more than just either the reporter's or the paper's reputation. It risked, apparently knowingly, leaving Rayno in a position in which she very well could have been raped, seriously threatened or otherwise endangered way beyond what might've occurred as a result of any inappropriate texts.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
  4. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    The story said she did tell her bosses and her HR department, and IMO they did the absolute worst thing - let her pick the plan of action, which was to do nothing and see if the harassment continued.

    She was a victim and the people in position to get her out of that situation did nothing.
     
    Inky_Wretch and 93Devil like this.
  5. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    The U is the only D-I football and basketball program in the state. The Strib has to maintain some kind of functional day-to-day working relationship with the athletic department.

    Now, is that a GOOD ENOUGH reason not to back up Rayno? In my opinion, no, but it's a good enough reason for many newspapers.

    Rayno herself second-guesses the decision. She says in light of current developments it was probably the wrong decision at the time. But I understand the reasons she may have made it.
     
  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    At that time, according to her account, the texts had pretty much dried up and she rarely saw him. So I could see her assuming it was just him pursuing her, a single woman, and realizing it wasn't working.

    The paper said it would follow whatever course of action she chose. Maybe it shouldn't have given her a wait-and-see option.

    But if they had gone to Minnesota to complain, they would have to take her off the beat. I guess you could make a good case they should haven taken her off the beat anyway.
     
  7. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    Once the paper heard of this, it should have a)quietly reassigned reporter to a different and if possible better beat, b) had the publisher of the paper meet with the university president and inform him "we're not letting this go, so you had better take a look at it yourself."
    It is of course anything but this woman's responsibility that she became news, but she did. Journalists trample over innocents every day. It sucks, but sometimes you gotta.
     
  8. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    Probably the biggest hire Teague made in his time at Minnesota was Richard Pitino, the men's basketball coach, after a search with the Villa 7 that Teague created, which was mentioned early in this thread.

    Rayno is the men's basketball beat writer. To say that it wouldn't possibly make her job more difficult is ridiculous.
     
    Lugnuts likes this.
  9. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

  10. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

  11. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    He did have a big part of it, as did Ellis. But he also likes to take credit for creating it, which he did not. And I guess Ellis works at Minnesota for now. Curious to see how long that lasts.
     
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