I can’t take credit for this one. I have to give a shout out to “Mel” for bringing this article to my attention. On my last Pokey update, Mel commented on how she is still “searching for answers” because she loves Pokey and was horrified when she abruptly departed ways with LSU.
Thanks to Mel, we have an update from AfterEllen.com:
(more…)
The last time I wrote about 
Pokey Chatman was about six months ago. On Sunday, I had the more page views for this blog than I’ve had in a long time.
Where am I going with this you wonder?
Pokey Chatman is the reason for those page views as most of the visits to this blog revolved around search strings like, “Pokey Chatman” and “Pokey Chapman,” and even “Pokey Chatman scandal.”
It’s been almost a full year since the “scandal” broke headlines. But so many of you are still searching for answers. So many of you feel that we are owed some answers. I have to say, I feel the same way.
As of today, Pokey is in Russia coaching the Spartak with the likes of Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird on her roster. She hasn’t spoken out about LSU or what happened since she abruptly stepped down as LSU’s head women’s basketball coach.
I can’t imagine that she is happy in Russia. Living in another country can be a cold, gray and lonely existence if you are there by yourself (and in Russia of all places). But at least she has basketball, right? At least she’s free of the looks and whispers. At least she’s free from speculation.
That is … at least she is for now. But what happens when she returns home?
The fact of the matter is that she can’t hide from this forever. And until she directly addresses the situation, it will be patiently waiting for her to return. I know Pokey just wants to move on. But I don’t think she will be able to move on fully unless she makes a comment or two about what happened. History has proven that living in exile can only work for so long. And it seems that many of you still want some answers.
Don’t we all?
Don’t we all still wonder, ponder and speculate about the circumstances in which one of the most respected, talented and likable coaches in women’s college basketball history suddenly disappeared from the limelight.
Like a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing from the sky, the whole thing just seems unfinished. And while many of you are still searching for the answers, or in this case — the missing piece, rest assured that I am as well.
In the mean time, here are all the posts I wrote about Pokey over the past year. Hopefully, they will satisfy your curiosity for the time being. I promise that the next time I hear a peep out of Pokey, I’ll share it with all of you.
Pokey’s been spotted …
Swoopes weighs in …
pokey chatman, pokey chapman, pokey and lsu, lsu, pokey chatman russia
Looking to start anew, Pokey Chatman may have to go somewhere, someplace that hasn’t heard about the supposed allegations which caused her early exit from LSU. Of course, a whole other country might be a bit drastic …
I hunt for Pokey Chatman updates like a coke addict on the city streets searching for a dealer. I can’t help myself. I want to know what’s going on. I want to know what happened. And I want to know why no one else is talking about this.
The situation appeared to have been resolved, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving. The truth is that there were far too many loose ends left dangling in mid air for anything to be fully resolved.
Therefore, every time I log into ESPN, it’s not because I want to check the latest scores of the WNBA or update myself on what’s going on with the Kansas City Chiefs during preseason. (They’re my favorite team, but I could care less about preseason football.) I log in for one reason and one reason only, to see if there is any breaking news about Pokey.
Ever since she left LSU, she’s been ghost. No one has seen her or heard from her save for her lawyer and the LSU athletic department. Either Pokey is as good as 007 when it comes to disappearing or assuming another identity, or people just don’t care. Well, I happen to care. And I know plenty of others who care as well. We want to know what happened at LSU and why Pokey hasn’t stepped forward to clear her good name.
While on the hunt for Pokey this morning, I unearthed this … and it looks as though we may start getting some of the answers we seek, even if it’s in small doses.
In keeping with the sports theme from yesterday, I decided to post this article from the LA Times because I think that it is important to send the message to GLBT teens that you can be both an athlete and an openly gay individual at the same time.
Young and out on the field
Seattle — The guys in his boat took to calling him “Badger” because of the grimace he wore during races. Part of a junior rowing club that ranked among the fastest in the nation, Lucas Goodman was relentless on the water.
It was a different story on land.
The teenager with the powerful build and close-set eyes had to be careful. He hung back ever so slightly when teammates shot the breeze, talking about girls.
“You get tired of constantly watching what you say, constantly watching how you act,” he said. “You’re almost paranoid.”
Goodman felt so uneasy that he finally told the Green Lake Crew his secret: He is gay.
The 18-year-old belongs to an emerging generation of openly gay and lesbian athletes on high school and college campuses across the country. These young men and women are quietly venturing where no pro football or baseball star has gone, challenging the conformist, if not downright homophobic, tradition of the playing fields.
Their numbers are difficult to gauge because many confide only in peers. Experts chart the trend anecdotally through athletes who join gay rights clubs at school, e-mail gay rights advocates for advice or announce their sexual orientation on websites such as Facebook and MySpace.
“This is an issue that’s in transition even as we speak,” said Jay Coakley, a noted scholar and author on sports culture. “We’re looking at how the world is changing.”
Not all the stories have happy endings — a high school football player in Northern California tells of being ostracized. But others, such as a Delaware runner and a Georgia hockey player, say they were welcomed by their teams.
Sociologists see the openness as a generational shift. Polls suggest a growing percentage of young people have more relaxed views about sexual orientation than their parents did.
In Seattle, Goodman began dropping hints around his eight-man boat more than a year ago. He talked with his best friend, and with another rower who seemed both understanding and physically large enough to make a good ally.
When word spread, no one teased or whispered about him. The crew saves money by sharing hotel beds on the road, and the teammate who bunks with Goodman didn’t mind.
“So what if I sleep in the same bed with a straight guy or with Lucas?” Casey Ellis asked. “Either way, there’s going to be another guy there with me.”
Within a few weeks, Goodman figures, the surprise of his announcement wore off and “it ended up not being that big a deal.”
Which is what makes his story, and others like it, a very big deal.
So many professional athletes today are afraid to cross the boundaries that separate their sport from their sexuality. One of the reasons I spoke about Sheryl Swoopes yesterday is because I think she is a great role model for young, gay athletes. Now, I am not saying that all gay athletes on the professional level need to come out of the closet. I believe it is their right to do as they see fit, regarding their own lives. But I also believe that those athletes who are “out in the field,” are doing a wonderful and courageous thing by paving the way for others who desire to walk the path those out athletes already tread.
There is nothing wrong with being a young, gay athlete. And unfortunately, by continuing to hide from our sexuality on the professional athletic level we are saying that it is wrong and that one cannot co-exist with the other. Sheryl Swoopes doesn’t think the world is ready for the professional gay athlete yet. She may be right. But one thing we’ve learned throughout the years is that the world is constantly changing.
And, it is apparent that an emerging generation of gay athletes in high school and college is already changing the rules.
Unfortunately, you have to sign up at the LA Times website to read the rest of the article. It’s such a good read that I decided to post the rest of it below. It’s long, but worth it.
I like giving press to Sheryl Swoopes, because she is one of the only gay women out there with enough “hutzpa” to be out and proud in the WNBA. It’s been almost two years since she came out, and her popularity as one of the most visible faces in the WNBA has not suffered in the least.
So, when I came across thi
s recent interview on AfterEllen.com, I thought I’d share it with the Lez Keep it Real audience as well. After all, Swoopes knows how to “keep it real,” no matter what people think or say about her. You have to respect that, even if you aren’t a basketball fan.
In the interview, Swoopes talks candidly about her plans to open a sports bar; the lack of women coaches in the WNBA; the sacrifices of her partner, Alisa Scott, has had to make since she came out; and starring in NBA Street Homecourt, the first-ever video game to feature WNBA players.
Tempe, Arizona— Media Out Loud, LLC owners Eric Carlyle and David Riach launched the new, first-of-its-kind Gay Sports Magazine – Sports Out Loud on June 9th. The first issue features amateur athletes from Dallas in a swim suit layout. The studio shoot was conducted by celebrated photographer Sean Northcutt. 
“Sports Out Loud is Men’s Health meets Sports Illustrated with just a hint of The Advocate thrown in,” says Carlyle. “We hope to serve a healthy dose of sports and fun for both the gay spectator and gay athlete.”
The need is there. In the past year, a growing number of gay sporting events received national and international exposure. New York City hosted gay rugby’s premier tournament, The Bingham Cup. And in the summer, thousands of gay athletes from around the world descended upon Chicago and Montreal for the Gay Games and the World Outgames.
What was missing from these monumental events? No coverage by a leading gay sports magazine. Arizona-based Media Out Loud, LLC hopes to fill that void with its new entry into the gay publishing world.
Leading the editorial team is Echo Magazine’s (Arizona’s most widely read GLBT magazine) former assistant editor Ted Rybka. Rybka was also the former associate editor for a nationally-ranked top ten radio show whose work appeared nationwide in the Gannett Newspapers and on USA Today’s Web site. Rybka brings a master’s degree in mass media to his job and years of experience covering gay culture. But he is also an avid sportsman and athlete.
“To put it simply, I love journalism and I love sports. I feel very fortunate to be able to combine those two worlds,” said Rybka.
Rounding out the magazine’s creative team is Art Director, Phill Barber. Barber, a nationally recognized graphic artist brings his skills to his newest media—publishing.
A gay sports magazine modeled after Sports Illustrated? Where do I sign up??
gay sports, sports out loud, sports illustrated, gay athlete, gay games, world out games, media out loud
This story has lost its steam, what little steam there was, since everything went down at LSU. And the only place I can find any updated information is ESPN. Thankfully, I’m a tomboy and I visit the site on a regular basis because now I can pass on the information to you!
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU has paid former women’s basketball coach Pokey Chatman the $160,000 owed her as a result of a recent contract settlement that
followed her abrupt resignation from the school earlier this year, Chatman’s lawyer said Wednesday.
Chatman resigned March 7, shortly before the NCAA Tournament, after assistant coach Carla Berry raised allegations of improper conduct with a former player or players. The team went on to reach the Final Four under assistant Bob Starkey, now the associate head coach under new coach Van Chancellor.
In a settlement announced in mid-June, LSU offered Chatman $85,000 in postseason bonus money, on top of the $75,000 both sides agreed she was due for a total of $160,000.
On Wednesday, Chatman’s lawyer, Mary Olive Pierson, said in a news release that she received on Chatman’s behalf a check for $75,000 from LSU and a check for $85,000 from the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
“Coach Chatman has authorized me to say that she is very pleased that LSU accepted the proposal she made to resolve this matter. She is happy to put this chapter behind her and move on to a successful future. She has discovered in this process that she has a wide array of fans, friends and supporters throughout the United States and she appreciates all of their contacts and warm wishes,” Pierson said.
In April, Piersen said that at the time Chatman left LSU, she had been given two hours to resign or be fired and that she was entitled to damages and compensation for the final two years of her contract.
Though she still has yet to make a public appearance or speak out about this incident herself, at least we know she isn’t just going to hide from these allegations or disappear from the coaching world altogether.
I think now that the money situation is settled, Pokey needs to come forward and talk candidly about what happened. It could only serve her well in future endeavors and, quite honestly, put a lot of speculation to rest.
Past information on Pokey and LSU
We’re still playing, “Where’s Pokey.” You’ve played “Where’s Waldo” before, haven’t you? Well, the same rules apply here. If you happen to stumble upon an article or an announcement of Pokey’s whereabouts, heck, if you happen to actually see her somewhere -contact me! Maybe I’ll even throw in a prize!
pokey chapman, lsu, espn, women’s basketball, settlement, coaching, lesbian coach
Sounds like we’re talking about cartoon characters here. But, really we’re talking about Sheryl Swoopes and Pokey Chapman. Swoopes is the first prominent figure in women’s basketball to really comment on the allegations still in question:
Espn.com - Allegations that former LSU coach Pokey Chatman had an affair with one or more of her players will hurt women’s basketball, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes said Friday.
Swoopes shared her thoughts on Pokey Chatman in an interview session during her first visit to the Texas Tech campus since coming out in 2005.
Swoopes, who made headlines two years ago by announcing that she was a lesbian, said she hasn’t spoken with Chatman since her resignation in early March.“If it happened, ethically it’s probably not good,” Swoopes said. “To see something like that happen, whether it’s true or not, I think it’s just very damaging to women’s basketball.”
Swoopes said she feels she understands the challenge Chatman is facing after leaving LSU amid the allegations. The ripple effect, particularly on black female coaches, is difficult to quantify, she said. READ MORE
I have to say that I am glad that someone who is a visble figure, both as a lesbian and as a women’s basketball player, stepped up to weigh in on the Pokey situation. No one else, outside of the coaching staff at LSU, has cared to comment either way. I agree with Swoopes about the fact that this could have an impact of sorts regarding female coaches. However, she seems to think that it will directly impact African American female coaches. I disagree with this. What Pokey has achieved as a coach and what other coaches like Vivian Stringer, Coquese Washington and Dawn Staley have achieved in their respective careers will not be discounted. Who I think this will affect most, are lesbian coaches. This incident, whether true or not, will make it more difficult for women to come out of the closet as coaches because of the implications involved. And with women’s basketball already suffering from a high degree of in-the-closet syndrome, it won’t be any easier to break down that door now. In fact, more lesbian coaches might use this as reinforcement as to why they should stay in the closet.
I’m glad that Swoopes had enough moxie to voice her opinion, but I’m still patiently waiting for Pokey to shed some light on exactly what happened. Maybe if more people like Swoopes start a dialogue about this instead of sweeping it under the rug, Pokey might feel that she has a platform to speak out on her own behalf.
Either way, Swoopes is right: a situation like this, no matter what the outcome, is damaging to women’s basketball.
More information on Pokey and LSU
We’re still playing, “Where’s Pokey.” You’ve played “Where’s Waldo” before, haven’t you? Well, the same rules apply here. If you happen to stumble upon an article or an announcement of Pokey’s whereabouts, heck, if you happen to actually see her somewhere -contact me! Maybe I’ll even throw in a prize!
basketball, women’s basketball, lsu, pokey chapman, espn, sheryl swoopes, allegations, dawn staley, vivian stringer, texas tech, female coaches, lesbian coaches, lesbian, coming out, coming out of the closet, closet
As kids, we are often asked the ever-ambiguous question, “What do you want to be when you grow up? My answer (aside from rock star, actress and writer) was a professional basketball player.
OK, so I happen to be only 5’3” (5’4” with high tops on) and a woman. But even so, as a young, dreamy-eyed tomboy I still thought that I could break the mold and be the first woman athlete to play professionally in a male dominated sport. Why not? For me, there was no women’s league that I could dream of playing in. All I had was the NBA. So, along with my brothers, I had posters of Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan on my wall. I was a regular kid athlete with stars in my eyes and lofty dreams of signing a sneaker deal with Nike. I scoffed at those who said, “You can’t play in the NBA, you’re a girl.” And I kept on playing, with my head high, volunteering for my brother’s pick-up games just to prove that I could play with the big boys.
My how times have changed. Unlike me, young girls today, those with exalted aspirations of being a professional athlete, have the WNBA to look up to.
When asked what they want to be when they grow up, they can flash a knowing smile and say proudly, “I want to play in the WNBA.” And no one will tell them they can’t simply because they are a girl.
These days, girls across the country have posters of Diana Taurasi
and Sheryl Swoopes on their walls, they imagine holding up a shiny new jersey of the team that just drafted them number one over all in the WNBA draft, and they tune into the all star game just to see their favorite player bounce the familiar orange and oatmeal colored ball between her legs.
They look up to these players with a newfound respect and admiration because they are women. Women who are as athletically gifted as they are intellectually sound. And, more significantly, women who play professional basketball.
Do you think that for a second, these same young girls would think less of these women if they knew some of them were lesbians? Do you think that it would lessen the impact that these players have on them?
I highly doubt it.
The truth is that all these girls care about is whether or not Diana Taurasi scores from the three-point line or if Lisa Leslie is going to dunk next time she drives the lane.
So tell me then, why the WNBA continues to avoid the lesbian word as if it’s steaming pit of bubbling hot tar?
From the LA Times:
During my 23 years with The Times’ sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the Morning Briefing flame.
Today I leave for a few weeks’ vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation.
As Christine. READ MORE
I know that writing can be therapeutic, but WOW - coming out to thousands of readers most of whom are straight sports watching sterotypical men takes ALOT of moxie. I hope they don’t make her cover the WNBA now iinstead of football. That would be kind of insulting.
Go Mike … er, I mean Christine!
The Pokey Chatman camp spoke Tuesday, and for the first time in six weeks, the embattled coach’s intentions seem clear.
She plans on coaching again, doesn’t want her job back at LSU and wants the university to pay her roughly $900,000.
Chatman’s attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, said Tuesday her client was given about two hours to resign or be fired on March 7 amid allegations she had inappropriate sexual relationships with former players. In a five-page letter to the university, e-mailed to selected members of the news media, Pierson painted a picture of a coach unjustly treated and compared LSU’s actions to “the Nifong school of decision making.”
Pierson also said further legal action is likely if Chatman isn’t compensated for the final two years of her contract. - ESPN.com
Read the five-page letter.
Though she still has yet to make a public appearance or speak out about this incident herself, at least we know she isn’t just going to hide from these allegations or disappear from the coaching world altogether.
We’re still playing, “Where’s Pokey.” You’ve played “Where’s Waldo” before, haven’t you? Well, the same rules apply here. If you happen to stumble upon an article or an announcement of Pokey’s whereabouts, heck, if you happen to actually see her somewhere - contact me! Maybe I’ll even throw in a prize!
gay, lesbian, sports, women’s college basketball, pokey chapman, lsu, head coach, resigns, mary olive pierson, nifong, espn
Are you out there looking? I am!
Other’s may have simply forgotten about Pokey Chatman and the supposed scandal at LSU but I haven’t. Now that the women’s Final Four is over, I’m waiting for Pokey to pop back into the public eye so that she might be able to clarify a thing or two about what really happened.
Unless you follow women’s college basket ball or accidentally stumbled upon one of the two articles that were actually written about this issue, then you probably need a little reminder about what happened.
Apparently, Pokey had a little something something going on with one of her former players. It’s unclear as to whether this player had been on the team when the steamy affair took place. But once the relationship became public knowledge (Chatman was turned in by a close friend and confidant who also happens to be an assistant coach for the LSU Lady Tigers), Pokey stepped down as head coach with out giving any reason or explanation.
The Lady Tigers carried on, turning their focus from the scandal to the competition on the court. In a brilliant display of determination and pride for their program, they made it the Final Four in Cleveland before losing to Rutgers in the semi-final game. Still their resolve has to be admired. Admist the controversy that surrounded their school, they were able to rise above it.
Outside of the sporting world, hardly anyone even knew what had happened or even who Pokey was. It wasn’t covered in the national media and ESPN ran a few columns that weren’t even shown on the front page of their website. I think part of the reason it was so poorly covered or publicized is because no one really knew how to approach it or even what to say about it. Was it a gay issue? Was it an abuse of power? Was it easier to overlook because it involved women instead of men?
There’s a double standard here that’s unfortunate. I pose this question to you. What if this had been a male coach instead? What then? Would the story have been front page news on Yahoo? Would ESPN have led with it on their radio programs? SoCalSportsFan thinks so. And so do I. If Geno Auriemma had done the same thing, there would have been public outrage beyond belief, a nationwide call for his head on a platter and endless media coverage. Dare I say it would have been as big of a story as Don Imus’ racial slurs against the Rutgers women’s basketball team? Ok, that’s a stretch. But it would have at least made the national news and been analyzed on every talk show from O’Reilly to Olbermann and back again.
I personally don’t think it’s right for any coach, be it male, female, gay or straight, to sleep with one of their players. Bottom line.
Women’s basketball is a sport that has often begged for recognition and respect.But this isn’t the kind of recognition they seek, nor does it bring the sport any respect. What a situation like this does is bring the gay issue into the spotlight. Whether they want to admit it or not, players, staff and coaches alike can’t deny the fact that sexual orientation is often brought into question whenever women’s basketball is concerned. And rather than comment on it, they’d rather not even touch it.
The thing about this whole situation is that it isn’t really a gay issue at all. Yes, that is one facet of what happened. But it shouldn’t be the shock in this shocking situation. I’ve read a billion and one comments on this subject and many of them are absolutely appaling. One man wrote about how he was concerned about sending his daughter off to play college basketball, for fear that the coach might make a move. Another man said that this proves the case in point about how homosexuals on a sports team can’t control their attractions. Are you kidding me? When did lesbians become such predators? As a lesbian myself, one who has played on many sports teams, I have never had the overwhelming urge to jump one of my teammates or hypnotize them to come to my over to my “side.” It doesn’t work that way. These comments are one thing and one thing only: the result of ignorance.
The main point is that Pokey made a serious mistake if she did, in fact, sleep with one of her players. That was wrong. Same if Gino had slept with one of his players. WRONG. There are certain lines you shouldn’t cross and unwritten rules that exist on every sports team. The player/coach relationship is a sacred one and should be respected by its particants in the highest regard. I understand, however, that things do and can happen — people make mistakes. But that doesn’t make it right.
The “formal” investigation at LSU has ended, with no new news to report. It seems as if the university stuffed the whole situation back into the closet. Pun fully intended.
I’ve often wondered where Pokey was during the Final Four, if she were off somewhere in a trench coat and sunglasses, sitting on a cushy stool at the end of the bar at some pub in a small town where no one even thought to look at her twice. I wondered if she sat there, hands wrapped around a bottle of Bud, with a proud smile on her face as she watched her former players compete on the biggest stage in women’s college basketball. I’m also wondering if she regretted stepping away from the game she loved so deeply, in the manner that she did.
At the moment, I’m simply wondering where she is now.
It’s time to play “Where’s Pokey.” You’ve played “Where’s Waldo” before, haven’t you? Well, the same rules apply here. If you happen to stumble upon an article or an announcement of Pokey’s whereabouts, heck, if you happen to actually see her somewhere - contact me! Maybe I’ll even throw in a prize!
gay, lesbian, pokey chatman, lsu, women’s basketball, final four
There’s no reason to beat around the bush, so to speak. Let’s get it all out in the open, basically - Lez keep it real. Real opinions, real discussion, real stories. Writer and professional people watcher, Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, will keep you up to speed with information and educated opinions on current news, politics, sports, entertainment, gossip, lifestyle, coming out and everything else concerning the gay and lesbian population five, fun-filled days a week!
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