MEDFORD, Ore. – The investigation continues in the case of a Medford gymnastics coach facing charges of encouraging child sex abuse. …
Jeffrey Bettman was arrested at his home last Friday, after the Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force served a search warrant regarding downloaded child pornography from his IP address.
… had been setting up private photo shoots with some of the gymnasts and secretly video taping them as they changed …
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INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 8, 2012 – As part of its ongoing efforts to promote a safe environment for athletes, USA Gymnastics is launching the “We Care Campaign” to better educate parents about the important role they play in preventing child sexual abuse. This educational effort complements the “Clubs Care Campaign,” which focused on raising awareness among gymnastics clubs about child sexual abuse …
16 comments ↓
I’m sick. So sorry for all the parents and gymnasts who were affected by this.
I don’t completely understand the private photo shoot thing? Why were these girls getting their pictures taken?Gymnasts aren’t aspiring models who need to send out head shots or build pictures for a portfolio, but the news clip said as many as 60 gymnasts may have been photographed. Is it common these days for young gymnasts to get professional photos taken? I am not in any way blaming the parents or athletes for having photos taken. I am only curious why so many did.
I also sincerely hope that the “undisclosed reasons” he was fired from his former gym were not related to innappropriate sexual behavior. I don’t want to blame that gym without evidence but it does sound suspicious.
Yes, most clubs run a series of photos every year just like schools. They do shots of the team, every level team, coaches, etc. Sometimes the kids can pay more to get individual photos (or it is included) or with another fellow gymnast. The difference is in my experiences the coach or coaches were ALWAYS present during these shoots and if not coaches definitely other gymnasts or parents were in the vicinity within eye/earshot.
My daughter was one of the victims of this. In answer to the previous comments, no my daughter isn’t a model. However, she does practice for 12 to 15 hours a week and I am proud of her accomplishments. I paid to have extra photos of her taken to capture her skills in this sport. As far as the undisclosed reason he was fired from another gym, I am unaware of this, but do know that our gym does extensive back ground checks on the staff and coaches and nothing came up. (TippingCows) in reference to your statement that in your experience there is always a coach or coaches present and that this was the difference in your experience. Well it ISN’T different! I was present during the whole photo shoot I even went into the changing area with my daughter. Jeff had hidden cameras in there I could have never known. I am dissapointed in the lack of judment I hear coming from these last two comments. I would request that any future comments posted be of caring and support. No one but the families involved know the whole story of what has happened. Also please remember that these beautiful, young, impressionable girls most likely have access to the internet and all they need to reading is loving, supportive comments. What happened was heart wrenching for all of us.
Last year our team photo shoot was done in the gym. Entire club. Individual training groups. Some individual poses. All our in the open, a big crowd of parents.
That’s pretty standard.
It raises a red flag when any photographer asks you to go somewhere private. Be cautious.
Thanks for clarifying the facts.
In my opinion competitive gymnasts are the safest kids in town. The gym a place of health, fitness and goal setting.
I’m hoping the kids learn a lesson from this that will keep them safer for the rest of their lives.
Thinking of you all. …
My daughter is a competitive gymnast at U Sports in Grants Pass where Jeff Bettman was last working and recently terminated. We did not have a private photo shoot, although we did discuss it and were hoping to have it done before Christmas. The photos are absolutely beautiful and they capture the gymnast at their best for whatever level they are in. However they are not anything that our gym ever promoted (or a part of having team photos done). They were privately commissioned between Jeff and the parent(s); he was a professional sports photographer.
To clarify, Jeff made a make-shift changing “room” out of mats out on the floor and he would place a camera in order to video the girls changing leo’s for the photo shoot; it is my understanding that he has confessed this to the detectives. In our instance (and I have heard this to be true in other gyms as well) that sometimes the gym owner(s) did not even know the photo shoots were happening. In addition, the photo shoots were always done during non-business hours.
It’s important that folks know that NO ONE did ANYTHING wrong. U Sports keeps up with all of our coaches background checks current (in fact, Jeff just had his renewed). There was NEVER any indication that he behaved inappropriately with our kids and in fact, Jeff was many parents’ friend. We always invited Jeff to our team functions and my husband and I even had him over our house for a bbq with friends.
It’s upsetting to read some parents’ responses (on social sites) indicating that they “completely trust their coaches”, that they “feel safe at their gym”, or “that’s why I never allow my child alone with a coach”.
Well, here’s some news: WE FELT SAFE TOO! WE TRUSTED OUR COACH TOO! …and… THE PARENTS WERE WITH THEIR CHILD DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT!… he was victimizing these children RIGHT UNDER THEIR PARENT’S NOSES during a photo shoot that they PAID FOR! There was no way to know what was happening.
I have several mom friends in our gym whose child is a victim and my heart is breaking on so many levels. However, I am proud to tell you that our gym has banded together; we have grown closer and tighter then ever before, trying to work through this tragedy as a team.
In fact, our booster club has created a slogan: “U-NITY FOR U-SPORTS”, and has made custom silicon bracelets for our girls and our community to show their support and make a statement that there is strength in numbers and that we will not be defeated or let one bad apple ruin our morale. The girls will be selling these bracelets for donations to help raise money to offset their traveling expenses that they will incur due to having to go to other gyms to train (until we find a new Optional coach).
Despite all that’s happened, my hope for ALL the gymnasts who have ever had a photo shoot done by Jeff realizes that they did nothing wrong, and that their pictures are STILL amazing… and that nothing “bad” happened WHILE their pictures were being taken. I hope that gymnasts and parents can look at their photos and still be proud of what they portray. Those pictures don’t represent what Jeff did, they represent their beautiful gymnast showing all of her grace and beauty.
“I’m hoping the kids learn a lesson from this that will keep them safer for the rest of their lives.”
Anybody you know could place a hidden camera somewhere and record you without your knowledge. Lesson learned? NEVER FORGET YOUR PORTABLE, HIGH-POWERED MAGNET!111!!
I have said and always will say…. The majority of people who work with kids are wonderful and want to improve our nation through empowering and bettering the youth. However, there is a small minority that get involved with children and use the power to the detriment of children.
One out of 4 girls and one out of 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18. Talking about it and teaching everyone what to look for will only help us lower those numbers!
I just wanted to say that I am so proud of you parents and gymnasts for uniting together and getting through this horrible time. There is no way any of you could have know or suspected that was going on. You are all victims here. I have known Jeff for many years and I am both shocked and devastated for all of you. He has coached many girls in the past and they are also feeling very betrayed and victimized right now. Good luck finding a new coach and I wish you all the best.
It’s with a heavy heart that I write this post. I am a former gymnast who was coached by Jeff in the 1990′s. I want the young women & their families to know that there are many of us out here who wish we could have stopped this from happening. As an adult, I look back at my years under Jeff’s guidance, and question some of the things that now as an adult i would see as red flags. I feel horrible that anyone had to be put in the position that you all are in.
So much sadness is in my heart. I also have a fire to see those who have been scarred by this, begin to heal in a healthy way. This is not something to take lightly or brush under the carpet, hoping that it will be forgotten. We must all pull together to show our unity to the communities that Jeff has damaged. We need to see unconditional love, knowing that we are not alone! Thank you to those who have taken the time to show that encouragement, understanding, and support through these positive comments. I know that Jeff had a sneaky way of making everyone feel safe. His smooth talk, friendly shell, and thorough communication seemed to put all at ease. No one should feel they should have caught his trickery. Hind-sight is always 20/20, but no one but Jeff is to blame. Let’s keep our eyes open for ways to help each other heal. Many may need counseling, and that should not be frowned upon or discouraged. Think of years from now…how we handle things from this point on will shape our character for years to come. Counseling is a positive way to help the healing process. Keep each other close, and be open to help support those harmed!
I too was a Spiral, way back in the 80′s when Jeff first began coaching. Lots of red flags that had nothing to do with photography. Sorry folks, but his sick obsession with young girls started way back then and has only grown into a different field of work where he can disguise it much better. I (as many others are as well – unfortunately, it saddens me to think of the number of victims who have fallen prey to his perverted, illegal, and repulsive acts over the last 30 + years) am only too grateful that he has finally been caught. I hope he goes to prison for a long, long time.
I was lucky to pick another gym not Spirals back then. Many of my teammates went to Spirals as they got higher in levels. I would hear stories about him and two girls parents even sued him back in 2000 for sexual misconduct. But due to lack of evidence and what boiled down to the kids words against his, he was let go. I am so frustrated that he was not punished back then. We even tried to warn the gyms in Oregon but we were told that it was slander/libel to tell them as he was found not guilty. I feel horrible that so many other people were victims! So glad he was finally caught!
Who are you “Coach Rick”??? YOU hope that the kids learn a lesson from this??? Are you kidding!!! The kids did nothing wrong!! I am in disbelief!
Is the University of California at Santa Barbara liable for the letting Jeff perpetrate his crimes in Oregon?
There was a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s investigation and a civil law suit against Jeff for the same alleged crime in Santa Barbara. UCSB swept the problem under the rug. They just let Jeff move on to the next coaching position.
According to the civil law suit, photos of the underage children were observed in Jeff’s home. But the photos were destroyed and deleted from his computer by the time the sheriff was able to obtain a search warrant. When I accused the director of the UCSB sports program of hiding Jeff’s alleged crime the response was chilling. I’ll never forget what she said. She said, “There is no evidence to prove that Jeff….” She did not say Jeff was innocent; she said there was no evidence. That’s a huge difference.
It’s also a tragedy that the local Santa Barbara media does not investigate UCSB’s role in letting Jeff move on and continue his criminal behavior in Oregon. I’ve been told that it does not serve any one or organization to dredge up Jeff’s past and UCSB’s involvement. Tell that to the young girls in Oregon.
My heart goes out to all of the gymnasts. What the moms are saying is absolutely true, you have done nothing wrong. I trained with Jeff and my parents trusted him completely with me. Looking back there were a number of red flags and I wish I had had the courage to say something sooner. I also wish I had someone to tell me that I was going to be alright, and that I wasn’t alone in dealing with all this. When this surfaced in Oregon, I wasn’t surprised.
My only advice to all of his former gymnasts is that you find the strength and courage to tell someone about any uncomfortable experience you may have had with Jeff. His behavior has definitely become a pattern that only seems to be getting worse and he deserves to be as far away from any child as possible. Your word will help make that possible.
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