The Minister of Sport, Isabelle Charest, promised to get to the bottom of things by ordering an investigation following the denunciations of several former basketball players who blamed coach Danny Vincent acts of physical abuse, psychological harassment and verbal abuse.
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In an interview with TVA Nouvelles, Mr.me Charest, said she was “very concerned” by the testimonies of athletes who have decided to break the silence on the abuse they say they have experienced.
“Seeing this report forces us to question ourselves, whether the mechanisms in place are adequate,” she said.
She also wanted to highlight the courage of the victims, and encouraged those who could be pressured by their coach to denounce via the platform. I file a complaint.
Remember that the team of the show JE collected the testimonies of seven women about the coach who worked in Mauricie, in the Montreal region and elsewhere in the country. According to them, he engaged in acts of intimidation, psychological, verbal and physical violence against young players between the end of the 1990s until 2011.
Three Ministries
Three ministries are involved in this new administrative investigation targeting school basketball. The Minister responsible for Sport, Isabelle Charest, will collaborate with the Ministry of Education and that of Higher Education.
The investigation will target “the administration, organization and operation of the schools and sports organizations concerned”, can we read in a press release issued Friday evening.
Particular attention will be paid to the management of cases of physical and psychological abuse. The government wants to obtain a portrait of the situation before determining “the additional actions to be taken”.
Sexual relations
Among the women who testified, we find the former star player Élise Caron who revealed in particular that she had sex with her coach when she was only 18 years old. Danny Vincent would have declared his love to her when she was only 15 or 16 years old. Among the alleged acts, he would also have tapped the buttocks of players, thrown objects and made derogatory remarks about the physique of certain athletes.
According to our information, at least three educational establishments have received complaints from players denouncing the behavior of the coach over the past thirty years. The Basketball Quebec organization would also have informed of Vincent’s actions, according to four sources met by our Bureau of Investigation.
However, Danny Vincent was able to continue to train in various establishments, despite police investigations targeting him and a dismissal. However, he was never the subject of charges at the end of the police investigations.
