When bad things happen.
Huh? Wait a minute. I think my mind wandered. I think I slipped a gear. Let me start over. Let me try again.
When bad things happen . . . who’s to blame? What are we to do?
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Max Nikias, President of USC, and Harvey Weinstein, head of the film production company that bears his name, until he was fired days ago by his own board of directors. Max Nikias hasn’t been fired by USC–yet. But this writer thinks perhaps he should be.
Weinstein
Weinstein was “recently” accused by the New York Times of sexually molesting one actress after another for more than a decade, if not two or three. Now that the New York Times has taken the story public, everyone in town (Hollywood) and across the country is belatedly lining up to diss Weinstein. It couldn’t happen to a more “deserving” fellow, but what is more interesting to this writer is how no one said boo about Weinstein’s reprehensible behavior until now. In fact, it appears that the New York Times itself sat on the story since at least 2004 before finally spilling the beans.
All these folks in the know now so outraged, but not a word in the past twelve or more years! Why not? Simple, Because if you wanted to work in Hollywood or you wanted his company’s ads in your newspapers or you wanted his donations for your political campaign, you kept your mouth shut. It’s the “Golden Rule,” he who has the gold rules. But now that Harvey’s gold is no longer welcome, Harvey no longer rules anything. So, it’s safe to come out of the shadows and have at him. Free pass. And here come the hypocrites.
Nikias
What has the Weinstein hypocrisy got to do with Max Nikias? During Nikias’ tenure, USC has made one serious personnel blunder after another. First (that we know of), the hiring of a head football coach who Nikias knew or should have known was an alcoholic. This was the kind of person we wanted leading our college football youth? Why was this coach hired without the slightest due diligence, which would undeniably have demonstrated his drinking problem? Because the decision makers liked him nonetheless. His roots were USC. He was an insider. A member of the “club.” What did a few drinks here and there matter, wink and nod?
Now we have not one but two virtually successive heads of USC’s Keck Medical School clearly unfit to head USC’s medical school, but who were allowed to “lead” our medical faculty and students. Why did Nikias look the other way? Again. Two more times. For such a long time. Because Nikias has raised $6 billion dollars for USC and these two successive medical deans were prominently involved in that fund raising. In making Nikias look good. (When it came to raising money, certainly not in terms of his leadership qualities.)
These people are gone now, presumably never to return. But what about Nikias? He’s still around. Of course. Money talks. Has Nikias learned his lesson? Apparently not.
When USC claimed to have implemented the most stringent ever athletic department “oversight” program in college sports following severe sanctions imposed on USC for rules infractions on the part of its football and basketball programs barely a decade ago, one would have thought that Nikias, if not USC, would have learned its lesson. However, on Nikias’ watch, and under its reportedly exemplary oversight program, USC hired an assistant head basketball coach who has just been arrested and hit with criminal bribery charges threatening to bring USC’s basketball program to its knees. For a second time! In only a half dozen years. Another vetted leader for our student athletes.
And how, one wonders, was this young assistant college basketball coach able to make $100,000 bail to get out of jail and hire one of the most prominent, if not expensive, criminal lawyers in the country? How could an honest young man afford that kind of money? How come none of the local sports pundits are asking that question? (Gee, maybe he comes from a wealthy family. Or maybe he was working two jobs and saving for a rainy day.)
The Answer?
Every dog is entitled to his first bite. Weinstein apparently got a bunch of bites. How many bites do you think Nikias is going to get? How many do you think he should get? Who knows, but I’m betting $6 billion will pay for a lot of hypocrisy.
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