Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Lincoln U. coach talks about legal troubles
Lincoln coach opens up about legal troubles
LOWER OXFORD » Lincoln basketball coach and former NBA player Doug Overton had never spoken publicly after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct in the wake of an incident last spring in which he was charged with indecent exposure. But that changed earlier this month following the Lions’ home win versus Shaw.
“Lincoln’s been great,” Overton said on Jan. 8th. “Of course I was (happy with the way it responded). They stuck by me.
“I don’t want to comment much on it. It was one of those things that happened, you move on and you learn.”
First reported by the Main Line Times and the Daily Local News, the Lower Merion Police received numerous calls on April 30, 2017 that a man was seen walking the Cynwyd Heritage Trail with his genitals exposed. Motorcycle patrol officers responded and three separate witnesses identified Overton as the man.
On July 19th, Overton was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and complete any treatment recommendations by Montgomery County Court. The more serious charges of indecent exposure were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The entire ordeal happened during the offseason following Overton’s rookie season as the head men’s coach at Lincoln. According to Harry Stinson III, LU’s Athletic Director, Overton’s job status was never in serious jeopardy.
“This was a tough situation, for us and for (Overton), personally,” Stinson said. “He’s an employee. I wouldn’t say we gave him the benefit of the doubt, but we gave credence to him for talking about it
and being up front about it.
“You can stand by your people when you have good communication. Coach Doug communicated with our administration from the beginning, and kept everybody abreast. And those are the things that helped.
“We did the things we needed to do to show support and allow for the court system to go through the process.”
Stinson was actually hired as the Lincoln AD in the midst of the controversy. He was announced as the permanent replacement for Darryl Pope on July 1st, but didn’t officially start until two weeks later. A couple days after that -- while Stinson was attending the CIAA Football Media Day in Roanoke, Va. -- the sentence was announced.
“A lot of it occurred before I got to Lincoln. I had heard about it,” Stinson recalled.
“I had a discussion earlier with coach Overton along with the Communications Department, so I understood what the university’s stance was. Everybody was on the same page.”
When asked if the 2017 offseason was difficult, Overton said: “That do you think? Of course it was. But hey, look, stuff happens.”
In one and a half seasons at Lincoln, Overton’s overall record is 15-29. But his current squad has already exceeded last season’s win total with nine regular season games still to be played.
“You want to have stability,” Stinson said. “And you want a coach to have an opportunity to build relationships. That’s what coach (Overton) has been able to do over the last year and a half. And folks are starting to see the results.
“Everybody has bought in. We’ve had some growth spurts and some hiccups, but we think we have somebody who is able to relate to the students and put them into the best position to exceed. That’s what it is all about.”
Understandably, Overton declined to get into the specifics of the ordeal, but he did express gratitude that Lincoln stood by him.
“You never know, but I know the character of the people here at Lincoln,” Overton said. “People can say what they want and put out whatever they want, but I know it was no big deal and I’ve just moved on.
“Everything’s Things are good.” fine.