An unnamed ex-county cricket coach was banned for nine months after accepting allegations of sexual harassment. The independent Cricket Discipline Panel found that the coach had acted in an abusive manner. So they decided the only appropriate punishment was to suspend him for sending sexually explicit pictures—not messages—of himself to two female, junior staffers.
The report’s conclusions confirm that the ex-coach sent unwanted sexual pictures to two coworkers. This colleague was much younger and much further down the rudimentary totem pole at the cricket club. The Cricket Discipline Panel found that these acts amounted to five breaches of the ECB’s professional conduct regulations.
The suspension of the charges has been backdated by six months to the time at which the charges were first served. In addition, the coach has three months suspended. This suspension is contingent on their successfully completing an educator misconduct course which covers standards of professional conduct and appropriate behavior within the workplace.
Chris Haward, managing director of the sport’s regulator, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), described it as a “shocking” state of affairs. He stated,
“This kind of conduct is unacceptable.” – Chris Haward
The regulator has decided not to disclose the name of the former coach. They were worried about privacy and the unintended consequences that could happen to everyone who would be affected. This decision is consistent with their stated goal of keeping the sport a professional environment.
The case has triggered widespread debate within the cricket community about the need for better safeguarding measures and standards of professional conduct. It’s a positive step that the regulator is taking a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, especially with respect to junior, or other vulnerable, individuals.
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