The latter, if videotaped on a military base, would constitute criminal trespassing on a highly restricted federal reservation, attorney Goldstein said. The tapes are distributed under titles such as "Gym Time," "Straight Off the Mat" and "Between the Lockers." One order form also advertises tapes entitled, "The Football Team" and "Good Morning, Marines." "This is an issue that is at best uncomfortable for the sport of wrestling, which is struggling as it is," he said. Kraft, Northwestern's wrestling coach from 1957-79, said he was "disappointed that nothing has happened" since he turned over the tapes he found to the FBI last year. There were no other suspicious incidents. One person who was videotaping without credentials was escorted from the premises, Kraft said, but was allowed to return without his camera after he bought a ticket. It isn't the sort of thing that has come to our attention."ĭiscovery of the tape at Northwestern led to increased security at last December's Midlands tournament, said Ken Kraft, the university's senior associate athletic director and chairman of the Midlands event. "It's not the sort of thing you'd have legislation for. "There's no legislation that deals with that sort of thing," he said. NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said college sports' major sanctioning body is powerless to act in the matter. "If you do prosecute, you're making these videos more visible and possibly (causing) more harm to yourself and your sport," Goldstein said. His son is a college wrestler, but apparently isn't on any of the tapes.įiling a civil suit would mean the plaintiff recognizes himself on a tape. Goldstein has copies of the tapes and ads for them. "If not, videotaping there is not against the law."Ībsent criminal prosecution, civil suits can be brought, but that presents a Catch-22 for would-be plaintiffs, according to attorney Louis Goldstein, who has dealt with legal issues in college sports. But it is unclear whether "restroom" encompasses showers, locker rooms and weigh-in areas at athletic-competition sites, he said. The criminal law attempts to define areas where "a person's expectation of privacy is clear," Farley said. "In Illinois, you can't videotape a person without that person's consent in a restroom, tanning bed or tanning salon," Farley said. Illinois obscenity laws on unauthorized videotaping may or may not apply to the wrestling tapes, said detective Robert Farley of the Cook County Sheriff's Police. "There is audio on the tapes," Berkson said, "and that would fall under the statute for illegal recording of conversations, wiretapping and eavesdropping." While the tapes clearly constitute invasion of privacy, issues such as multiple jurisdictions and identifying the victims and perpetrators complicate prosecution, said Dennis Berkson, a Chicago attorney with knowledge of the matter. "I could pick out everyone on the team and everyone on the other teams."Įxperts on federal law and sexuality issues in college athletics said criminal prosecution is uncertain, partly because there is so little control over what gets on the Internet and partly because there's so little precedence as a guideline. "It was like someone walked around the arena with a duffel bag under his arm and there was a hidden camera in it," said the wrestler, who asked not to be identified. He wants those responsible "put away for this." I'm sure nobody gave permission to be used on it."Ī former University of Pennsylvania wrestler discovered himself on one of the tapes when it was sent to him by a concerned fellow athlete. Not only that, he's probably making his living off us. "We're out there trying to compete and make weight and some pervert is out there taping us.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |