The front page of today's Tribune-Review reads: "Ex-coach charged with scamming students."
An apparent scandal has just been cracked wide open in regards to a volunteer coach on the SHU Men's Basketball team. He allegedly turned himself into the police after being accused of scamming various students out of $17,000 and sexually assaulting another.
To read the full story, click here.
Here are some choice excerpts:
Ranieri joined the school's athletic department during the 2004-05 basketball season in an unpaid capacity, said Molly Robb Shimko, Seton Hill's associate vice president for institutional advancement. In that peripheral position, he was given the courtesy title of assistant coach, Shimko and police said.Between late September and early March, Ranieri developed bonds with three students in which he promised but failed to provide several goods or services, according to the criminal complaints.
Worse yet....
Ranieri also is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, a first-degree felony, because of an accusation that he fondled and sexually assaulted a male student in February after getting him drunk at the student's home. Greensburg Detective Jerry Vernail, the investigating officer, said the victim was unaware of the incident until a videotape surfaced on campus a month later.Ranieri sent a telephone text message to the victim on Feb. 12, according to court records. Ranieri asked the victim to participate in a business deal involving properties around California University of Pennsylvania. Ranieri allegedly gave the victim liquor, offering to invite young women to the victim's home if the victim finished bottles of Jagermeister and vodka.
After the victim passed out, Ranieri allegedly performed sexual acts on him.
The videotape surfaced when another student, who purchased a television from Ranieri, found it in a bag Ranieri gave him, police said.
And one more time:
The charges against Ranieri are seven counts of theft, four counts of improper use of credit cards, three counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of identity theft, and single counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, furnishing liquor to a minor and invasion of privacy.
In the article, SHU is quoted as saying that from now on, all volunteer coaches will have to sign a form saying that they read the handbook. A great preventative measure that would certainly make me feel like my kids were safe here. (Not.)
First of all, isn't it possible the absence of newspapers at the school might just be due to the fact people knew the story was there and the staff and others bought them all. It not be a conspiracy, if that is what the fellow was implying.
Secondly, the athletic staff is responsible to an extent. It certainly doesn't seem anyone had to go to too much trouble to find out Ranieri had a checkered past. But I think you'll find it takes an event like this to power meaningful change sometimes.
For example, no one really made a huge deal of airport passenger screenings until a couple of jetliners were hijacked and slammed into the World Trade Centers. Now you got to take off your shoes and you can't even take toenail clippers aboard.
This sort of pattern of event followed by reaction takes place all the time. This Ranieri business is just the same thing on a more local level.
I was thinking that at first as well, Evan... however after some investigation, I found that the paper was delivered, everyone just nabbed them up right quick. The same thing happened with today's followup article.
Just wait until my editorial for the Setonian..
You missed the most important part, Mike. The day that article came out, conveniently there were no copies of the Trib. (the paper that is usually in some of the newstands on campus). Good summary of the article, Mike. Scary stuff.
I never would have thought that of him-he was really nice when I interviewed him.
Ironic, too. Ranieri used to be an assistant basketball coach at my high school a few years ago. The head coach he worked with at the time later got arrested for running a prostitution ring...
that is -way- disturbing!