USA Volleyball bans coach — again
USA VOLLEYBALL made it official Wednesday: The sport’s national governing body has banned influential and scandal-stained volleyball coach Rick Butler for life after its ethics and eligibility committee held a hearing Monday and found that the 63-year-old Butler had “engaged in multiple acts in violation of USA Volleyball’s Bylaws.”
Butler had already issued a statement to the Daily News through his attorneys on Jan. 8 that said he had received a lifetime ban from USA Volleyball last month. Butler said the ban came as a result of his violating “some unknown rule.” Twenty-three years ago, USA Volleyball had issued a lifetime ban to Butler, only to reinstate him again in 2000, albeit in an administrative role. The 1995 ban came after three of Butler’s former players testified before a USAV ethics panel that Butler had
Four of the brightest local stars will be on full display when the NHL’s best convene for All-Star Weekend later this month at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lunqvist will be in net for the Metropolitan Division as the Swede makes his fourth All-Star appearance. Islanders forward Josh Bailey will make play in his first mid-season showcase along with teammate John Tavares, who is playing in his fifth. Forward Taylor Hall is the lone representitive for the Devils.
The league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning’s top performers will be on the Atlantic Divison team. Top scorer Nikita Kucherov, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and defenseman Victor Hedman will join captain Steven Stamkos for the skills competition and 3-on3 tournament Jan. 27 and 28. Kucherov has the most points in the league and Vasilevskiy the most victories in leading the Lightning to an NHL-best 65 points so far this season.
“It’s going to be a great showcase of a hockey city,” Stamkos said. “To be able to share that moment with them is going to be special, especially in front of our home fans who greatly deserve something like this and I’m sure we’ll put on a great show.”
With four players on the Atlantic Division team, Tampa Bay has the most representation for the showcase event. The Los Angeles Kings will send three players to Tampa: center Anze Kopitar, defenseman Drew Doughty and goalie Jonathan Quick.
The league announced the full All-Star sexually abused them during the 1980s, when all three were teenagers playing on Butler’s teams.
USA Volleyball said Wednesday that on Dec. 11, the ethics and eligibility committee hearing panel had found that Butler “had violated a protective order,” which was issued to protect the privacy of alleged victims who had come forward with new allegations against Butler. USAV said Butler had released the names of the alleged victims to the public.
Sarah Powers-Barnhard, who testified in Monday’s hearing, was also one of the three women who testified against Butler in ’95. Powers-Barnhard also filed a lawsuit in Florida against the Amateur Athletic Union in 2016, accusing the organization of violating the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Practices Act by allowing Butler to coach in AAUsanctioned events. The AAU’s policies bar membership to individuals accused of sexual misconduct. rosters on Wednesday as selected by the NHL’s hockey operations department. Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang of the defending Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins were added to the Metropolitan Division team that also includes Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and goalie Braden Holtby. Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov will head to his first.
“Sasha has earned the right to be counted among the league’s elite,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. “A cornerstone of our franchise, he is among the game’s most exceptional two-way players and is incredibly deserving of this honor.”
The surprise Vegas Golden Knights got two All-Stars: goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and winger James Neal. The expansion franchise is atop the Pacific Division with the most success so far of any NHL team in its inaugural season.
“There could have been a lot of guys from this team that got to go,” Fleury said. “We’ve got so many guys stepping up throughout the season. (Jonathan Marchessault) has 40 points right now. That’s awesome. William Karlsson has scored so many important goals for our team. (Backup goalie Malcolm) Subban has been playing great in net, too. I wish the other guys could do this, too, and be a part of it.”
All 31 teams must have at least one representative with the divisional teams limited to six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies. —AP Powers-Barnhard’s suit is still open.
“I’m overwhelmed with emotions and I just really hope this incredible sport does the right thing regarding the AAU and the JVA (Junior Volleyball Association),” Christine Tuzi, another of the women who testified against Butler in ’95, told The News. “He will continue to immerse himself with the young girl athletes if they don’t follow the sport’s highest governing body and ban him as well.” Tuzi told The News in a 2016 interview that Butler impregnated her when she was 18, and then told her to “get rid of it,” resulting in Tuzi having an abortion.
“We are very grateful for the courageous women who came forward,” Lori Okimura, the chairwoman of the USAV Board of Directors, said in a statement attached to Wednesday’s announcement.
Butler did not issue any further comment after Wednesday’s announcement. He chose not to attend the USA Volleyball hearing Monday, which was held in Denver. Butler is the founder of the influential Sports Performance volleyball training center in Aurora, Ill., and he’s been a powerful figure in the sport for over three decades, despite being dogged by the sexual abuse claims. He has never faced criminal charges.
Nancy Reno, who played on Butler’s teams in the ’80s, but who says she was not abused by him, was elated to hear Wednesday’s news.
“I am so very thankful, not only for my former teammates at Sports Performance who suffered egregious and unspeakable abuse by Rick Butler, but also for the prospect of future generations of young athletes to be better protected from such predators,” Reno told The News. “Perhaps now is finally the time for the powerful and willfully ignorant Amateur Athletic Association to publicly acknowledge these serious accusations, and follow suit.”