View Page PDF

Friday, April 16, 2004
Page 11
FATE OF COACH REVERSED
Hussong’s original verdict is overturned
By Jared Vichko
Sports Editor
In a case that didn’t need
any more controversy, the
judge in the trial of Daniel
Hussong overturned the jury’s
verdict and threw out the $1.5
million awarded to the plaintiff,
Jennifer Besler.
Superior Court Judge
Paulette Sapp-Peterson said
Besler had not been permanently harmed by Hussong
and failed to provide sufficient
evidence of emotional distress,
according to The Times.
Besler had sued Hussong
and the West WindsorPlainsboro School District for
emotional distress she suffered
after she was told by Hussong,
who was her basketball coach at
the time, to lose 10 pounds.
Hussong is currently the
assistant field hockey coach
here at Rider, his wife Lori, the
head coach of the field hockey
team, was also named in the
suit but no charges were filed
against her.
Beach Condominium for Rent
Sea Isle City, NJ 2 BR, pullout
couch, sleeps up to 7 people
1 bath, outdoor shower,
Central Air, washer/dryer
45 street - 2 blocks from
nightlife & beach
$12,000 for season 6/12-8/28
Available as early as 6/5
Call Eric 610-789-7593
or 609-760-8907
SUMMER JOBS
Local day camp needs
Counselors, Lifeguards,
and Coaches.
Great Pay, Great Hours!
Call 609-259-1777
or 732-446-1777
www.njcampjobs.com
‘What a turnaround.’
- Daniel Hussong
“This is huge,” said
Hussong. “That’s the best news
I’ve heard in a while. What a
turnaround.”
The judge did, however,
let the $100,000 awarded to
Besler’s father stand for being
gaveled at a school board meeting in 1997 when he brought
up the Hussong issue.
Hussong likened his victory in the courtroom to that
on the hardwood.
“I had faith in the judicial
system even when we were
down 10 points in the first
quarter,” he said. “But as a
coach I’ve learned that no game
is won or lost in the first quarter.”
Besler was obviously displeased with the decision.
“She’s
[Sapp-Peterson]
wrong,” said Besler. “She
wasted a jury’s time. The system is in place for a reason and
if the jury finds a certain way it
should stand.”
A lawyer for the family,
Daniel Fleming, said the judge’s
ruling was “just outrageous.”
“The message is crime
Spring & Summer
Employment- Lifeguards,
swim instructors, coaches,
land & water aerobics
instructors and camp
counselors for rest of
spring and summer at
Princeton YMCA.
Great salaries/flexible
hours 7 days a week.
Call 609-497-9622.
THE BEST summer job in
the COUNTRY is working on
the BEACH with Telescope
Pictures/Beachtown Studio in
Ocean City, MD or Wildwood,
NJ. Earn up to $10,000 for the
season! Housing is Available. No
exp. necessary! Can be used as
an internship! For more info visit
or website and APPLY ON-LINE
# 1 Spring Break
Operator!
Check out our web-site for
best details.
www.vegabondtours.com
Cancun, Bahamas, Jamaica &
Florida
Group organizers EARN
FREE TRIPS & CASH...
Call today! 866-273-2500
WWW.THESUMMERJOB.COM or
call 1.800.652.8501. E.O.E.
pays,” said Fleming. “And if
you’re an abusive coach, your
lawyers will protect you, and if
not, the courts will protect you.
But who will protect the kids?”
Hussong, who will continue to work here at Rider in
the fall, still maintains support
from his players.
“He’s a great coach as well
as a great person,” said freshman Kristy Cannarella, a member of the field hockey team.
“He always has a smile on my
face. When I first came here he
really helped me with my stick
work and control. He’s a good
leader and we all love him.”
Hussong said that family
support was crucial to getting
through the trial.
“I’m armed with the truth
and in that I’ve got strength,”
he said. “I’ve got a great family
and my wife would have been
there with me no matter what.
Lori and I have dedicated our
lives to coaching. I personally
have been vindicated, which I
knew would happen all along.”
Care Giver Wanted
Part-time 12 to 16 hours a
week from noon-6p.m. all
year long in our Pennington
home for two children ages
5 and 6. More hours during
summer. Driving is a plus,
no smoking, references, and
education major a plus.
Call 609-468-2934.
Fraternities - Sororities
Clubs - Student Groups
Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven
CampusFundraiser 3 hour fundraising event. Our
free programs make fundraising easy with no risks.
Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with
the program! It works. Contact CampusFundraiser
at (888) 923-3238, or visit www.campusfundraiser.com
Jared Vichko
Revealing
the
Truth
W
e all knew it was
true. Be that as
it may, we still
didn’t want to admit the
facts. If you ask anyone on
campus how the money is
divvied up among athletics,
I’m sure you’ll get the following responses, “Men get
more than women and men’s
basketball gets the most.”
The numbers don’t lie.
According to the NCAA Self
Study that Rider participated
in last year, the total budget
for women’s sports in 2002
was $327,000, compared
with 424 grand for the men.
Yeah, no biggie, that was
expected. Among the men’s
sports, basketball spent over
$160,000. Baseball and
wrestling were second closest at right around 70 grand.
No biggie again, that’s what I
expected.
But when you look at the
numbers more closely, several quandaries come to mind.
Without football, our money
sport is basketball. For all of
the cash that we invest into
the hardwood, shouldn’t we
be yielding a better product
in return? The combined
basketball record of the men’s
and women’s teams isn’t even
.500. Not a good investment
if you ask me.
Many people on campus gripe that certain teams
can’t be competitive in the
MAAC. How can we expect
the tennis team to, with a
budget of just fewer than
$6,000 for both the men
and the women?
The recruiting budget
is more ridiculous than
Rozanski claiming to have
“Phase 1” built by the summer of 2005. Men’s hoops
spent over $57,000 on
recruiting costs. Care to
take a guess how much the
golf team got? $200. No,
not $200,000; $200. That’s
a drive to New York and a
one-night stay at a hotel.
If I were a female athlete on campus I would be
pissed. True, the budget is
somewhat divided equally,
but when you compare to
See ‘Truth’ page 10