Carol Sowers The Arizona Republic May. 14, 2007 10:08 AM SCOTTSDALE -There was soft music playing in the loft when the 17-year-old track athlete arrived at her coach's home after school. Tom Porras, 49, a former professional football player and substitute teacher and track coach at Saguaro High School, had asked the girl to come to his house to watch videos of other athletes doing the long jump. He also asked if he could give her an "athletic massage." But Porras' version of the "athletic massage" resulted in his indictment Fridayon one count of public sexual indecency and one count of assault. Porras, who had substituted in the Scottsdale Unified School District since 2003, was fired last week. After his arrest, school officials reiterated the district policy that bars teachers from inviting students to their homes. Scottsdale police said at a press conference that they are looking for other possible victims. Police said that Porras, the once high-profile assistant football coach for Scottsdale Community College and former Arena Football League quarterback, admitted ejaculating on the teen, and fondling her while she was at his home. Details of Porras' encounter with the 17-year-old emerge from her statements to police about what happened April 25 at her coaches' home. According to a Maricopa County Superior Court document, the student told police that she trusted Porras, her track coach, and believed that going to his home would make her "a better athlete." The girl said she knew that other athletes had gone to Porras' home for a massage and to work out with him because he is a personal trainer. Porras told her to put on her two-piece bathing suit, and led her to a loft where he asked her to sit on an exercise ball. He massaged her neck and shoulders then asked her to roll onto her stomach. He fondled her buttocks beneath her bathing suit. Porras kissed her neck, cheeks and buttocks, and told her that if she had questions about sex, he would answer them. She declined. The girl told police she "felt uncomfortable, but didn't know what to do." She became alarmed when he ejaculated on her. He told her it was massage oil. As she was leaving his house, her coach had one last piece of advice for her. If she saw his son outside, she should tell him they were just "watching sports videos." http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0514sr-coach0515-ON.html
It's not that simple. That's a really common reaction for victims who are assaulted by people they trust. If there is that wide a psychological trend, I don't think it's fair to put blame on her.
she is 17, while not ALL but she does deserve some of the blame. i played baseball in highschool and I DID not trust my coach nor any of the priests since it was a catholic school.
Reminds me of the Knobloch issue at Bellaire when I was in high school. The girls weren't pissed at doing him. They were pissed that he was doing others. I knew all of them. It was quite humorous at the time.
There had to be someone you trusted. It is not something that fades with age. This happens to a lot of people when they are put in that position. Besides 17? she's still a kid. No doubt she knows that she should have just left but when someone with so little life experience gets in that kind of situation, it's not difficult to imagine them freezing up. She was assaulted by someone with authority in her life. I don't see why her reaction isn't completely understandable. p.s Why can't guys like this just get Female Escorts like everyone on the BBS?
People in authority using the power to abuse young people -- it is not her fault (she made poor judgement calls -- but that's what teens do) We try to teach our kids to respect and obey authority -- then those in authority abuse that. It was the teachers responsibility to not let this happen. I am a counselor at a camp for special needs kids and alot of the other counselors ares teen-age girls (to put things in perspective I was in my late 30's). One year a very cute counselor made it known that she had a crush on me and would have made it very easy for me to take advantage of the situation (actually her sister even tried to set something up). But it was my responsibility not to act on that not hers.
