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Statement from USFS regarding Dave Lease
- Thread starter moonvine
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think that the whole issue of whether tor not he skaters who died in the plane crash were potential Olympic champions or is a red herring. As is the issue of whether coaches and the skating establishment take advantage of starry-eyed and indulgent parents.
Likewise rhe position, "Who cares what Dave Lease says, he never achieved anything as a skater. Now if it had been Briano Boitano, then, yeah, he would deserve public revulsion." Please.
As always in these situations, I most blame the enablers and sycophants. We knew he was a snake when we took him in.
Likewise rhe position, "Who cares what Dave Lease says, he never achieved anything as a skater. Now if it had been Briano Boitano, then, yeah, he would deserve public revulsion." Please.
As always in these situations, I most blame the enablers and sycophants. We knew he was a snake when we took him in.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
I'm a longtime viewer of TSL interviews with skaters, coaches, choreographers. Those are fascinating.
I found his coverage of the Olympics/Valieva saga to be very informative in terms of helping me understand a very complicated situation and process.
Sometimes, the event coverage has been excellent, and I've enjoyed the recaps he has with prominent skaters. Those can be a "peek behind the curtain." The ones he does with the opera singer... no. I thought that was a little like what I imagine a beauty shop to be like.
The flat-out gossip sessions (These and Those?) are not for me, but some must enjoy them, or he wouldn't still be doing it. That said, I'm not offended that someone voices a different opinion of a skater or skating-involved personality than I do. I just think those episodes I've seen have been a waste of time.
He may have gotten carried away in the moment. He may have meant to advance a reasonable argument - there are some who ruthlessly dig for every penny they can gouge from parents who provide their children with opportunities. I am NOT NOT NOT saying that was the case in Wichita or with these coaching teams, but if you're a parent, you're not unfamiliar with the concept. Again, for emphasis, I am NOT saying that was the case here.
He may just be a terrible person, rather than a normal person who said a terrible thing. If it's the latter, then he needs to do what a normal person would do when we've made a mistake. Reflect on his choices, apologize to those he's hurt, and make a profound effort to be better in the future - that's the basis of redemption. As a man who has led an imperfect life, I testify that this is a critical process, whether TSL comes back or not.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
Interestingly, he appears to have begun this process:
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2018
But he still says his comments were taken “out of context,” and it’s hard to imagine a context in which they would have been appropriate.
Dave, you can do better.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
This is not really an apology. It is a justification. Then he goes on to reiterate his thesis about coaches taking money ro teach skaters who are not of championship potential.
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Yelling something obnoxious at a football game in Philly and then following up with: "Yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it!!!!" in a threatening tone as was done in the stands of that stadium has nothing in common with this thread, Lease's comments in a video, or any member here having a right to give their opinion on a topic free from abuse from another member simply because their opinion differs. Someone might take up for Lease - so? I think some guy already did in this thread. Should he be ganged up on for expressing his opinion? No. It's called free speech. And yes, we really do have it. The worst of the worst are those who go out of their way to take part in an orchestrated lynch mob to destroy someone simply because they disagree with another person's opinion. There are more than enough people on the internet who engage in that juvenile behavior and I don't consider it a legitimate "consequence" any more than pulling up to someone's house and setting it on fire.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2012
Thanks for saving me the bother of reading his statement. His thesis upsets me, but I will not give it any space in my brain, so I will not be discussing it. Moving on from this thread now.
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- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
The intro: My sincerest apologies for this devastating matter.
From the larger post:
I am deeply apologetic...
I am ashamed by my choice of words...
...brought out aspects of myself that I am not always proud of...
I need to step away from the sport and social media to reflect and reevaluate...
I am deeply sorry for the pain that this has caused...
This may not meet your criteria for an apology, but I do not think it is an empty statement. I agree that he does inject some of the circumstances that led him to this debacle, but he doesn't say one word about coaches or whether skaters have championship potential - In any event, I don't think that was necessary, but I also don't think it invalidates his words of apology.
I stand by my statement. Judging from the post, it appears that he has begun of a process of redemption. Is it complete? No. My earlier post included that the redemption process includes the genuine desire and effort to do better. And, of course, we don't know if that will happen or not - if he decides to return to social media, then time will tell. But his statement is a start.
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
This is a crap apology. Out of context? Questioning if skaters'/families' sacrifices should be commensurate with how talented HE thinks they are or aren't? "Ashamed by my choice of words", but then still uses the post to double down on his point about being talented enough? B****, please.
I used to admire TSL for being able to have interesting discussions with prominent skaters/coaches/etc., not being afraid to be critical (even if it got really mean-spirited, at times) and I appreciated their event recaps and amplifying goings-on in the skating community. But part of having a voice means setting a good example. This guy has proven time and again that he is his own worst enemy, and it's become impossible to empathize after seeing just how consistently messy he is.
Dave Lease can (and likely will) come back from this, as he has before. You know who can't come back? Those kids and their families.
Eff that guy x 1,000,000.
- Joined
- May 15, 2024
Please, free speech doesn't give you right to say literally anything. I say this as a lawyer who defends journalists who think they can be like Lease. Sometimes I win but sometimes I can't do anything else than negociate the damages. What Lease said isn't possible to defend. I can come up with trial strategy to make him pay a substantial amount of money.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
I can't argue with any of this.A sense of entitlement is difficult to change; apology is a start but there are those who use contrition as a means to an end. Not sure of him at all… “.. to get what I want I assess what I need to say to get it… and I say it.” Time will tell
I've enjoyed much of his content, but I'm not a fan of the man himself... if that makes sense. But that doesn't matter to me in this discussion.
Whether he returns to social media is irrelevant. For me, belief in redemption is an article of faith. I'm not talking about revitalizing his social media following, I'm talking about redeeming himself and improving as a person.
I am hopeful for this outcome. I've been through redemption processes. Some have been over big things, some have been smaller. It's about going through a cycle of apology, reflection, and doing better. This is not a quick fix. As you say, time will tell, but in this respect, I'm rooting for him.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
If someone says somthhig cruel and hurtful, others have a right to say, "That was a cruel and hurtful thing to say."
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
I cannot believe we are discussing free speech... It's not the point at all.. nobody will put him in jail for what he said. He was within his rights to be heard loud and clear as the despicable human being that he is. If some people didn't know about how vile he can be, now they do.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2014
Yes it has everything to do with what is going on in this thread. The fan did not break the law. He did not actually threaten anyone. He was banned for the content of what he said. But feel free to argue with an Iggles fan of over 60 years as to what happened.
The consequences of his own actions. As Dave Lease is experiencing now.
Free speech means the government can't fine or jail you (universal you, not specific) for speech. But free speech does not mean you can say whatever the heck you want and suffer no consequences. You can be banned from private property, You can be fired, You can be ostracized and criticized. You engaged in free speech, and other folks get to exercise their free speech or control of private property in return. This is America.
Buzzwords used by folks butthurt by encountering consequences (oh poor widdlee me, I'm being canceled, waaah
, oh the internet mob waaah) doesn't change the nature of actions and consequences.Thanks for stating what I already said. Again. It's called free speech. However, telling someone they don't sing well is not cruel and hurtful, it's an opportunity to improve. Yet you might witness 1000 keyboard warriors and 500 bots piling on someone claiming it's "cruel and hurtful" because their joy is in the piling on of others and inflicting as much pain as possible. It happens all the time on the net. It's perverse. And, frankly, that is cruelty in operation. Don't like Beyonce's music? Say so. Watch what can happen. How dare you not like her music! ATTACK. Mobilize forces, ATTACK.
This is the culture we now live in.
As for the guy in question, I don't know his history or prior remarks over time but it appears to have had the result of setting people off on a regular basis. I fail to understand what he is doing commenting on this sport. This is a sport, but damned if people don't spend more time talking about what a coach has done, a hickey appearing on a kid's neck who in reality was her boyfriend (THROW HER IN PRISON NOW!!!!!!!) or some other pearl-clutching episode designed to make this beautiful sport into a soap opera, rather than doing everything possible to take the sport and lift it up to another level.
I can.
Free speech is usually brought up in occasions when no other excuse can be found, so... I actually expected that.
- Joined
- May 15, 2024
I sometimes write about free speech in replicas. If I have to write about it and not about the fact that argued statement was truthful, it means my arguments are weak.
