Coaches charged with sex crimes | Basketball Quebec under the magnifying glass

The Legault government has opened an investigation into the “way” in which Basketball Quebec handled the situation at Saint-Laurent high school, where three coaches were charged with crimes of a sexual nature. New doubts are being raised about the “erroneous and unhealthy” values ​​put forward by the sports federation in recent years.

Alice Girard-Bosse
The Press

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“This culture of victory at all costs, to the detriment of the athlete’s well-being, has been put forward above all by our federation for several years”, assures the head coach in women’s basketball at Cégep of Trois-Rivières, Louis Philippe Dugas, in interview.

Also coordinator of the Regional Intersectoral Table in Healthy Lifestyles of the Mauricie and lecturer at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières, Mr. Dugas claims to have himself observed Daniel Lacasse on several occasions making inappropriate remarks. Today, he denounces the attitude and behavior of Basketball Quebec towards the three coaches of Saint-Laurent high school.

Daniel Lacasse, Robert Luu and Charles-Xavier Boislard face charges of a sexual nature, but they also allegedly engaged in other unacceptable behavior, as reported The Press. So far, at least three complainants have come forward, but Véronique Comtois, spokesperson for the SPVM, confirms having “received several new information since the media coverage of the event”.

“Most of the basketball community has seen a Saint-Laurent game and heard the verbal abuse,” Dugas said.

In addition to having coached the Quebec team for several years, Daniel Lacasse was also a member of the board of directors of Basketball Quebec.

By placing these coaches in positions of authority, but also “as role models for the rest of Quebec”, Basketball Quebec sent the message that they were “optimal coaches”, adds the coach.

Turn on the light

In Quebec, the minister responsible Isabelle Charest announced on Tuesday the launch of a second government investigation, in order to “shed light on the way Basketball Quebec handled the situation”.

These are the words of the director general of the federation, Daniel Grimard, who would have raised eyebrows in Quebec. On QUB Radio, Monday, he let it be understood that he had received “reports” against Daniel Lacasse, also revealing that he had met the latter to talk about “how to behave with young people”.

“We took the first steps based on the information we received. Afterwards, when it continued in his gymnasium, in his school, no one came back to us, ”said Mr. Grimard, admitting that he was going to have to forge closer ties with the directors and the parents. in the future.

Joined by The Press Wednesday, Mr. Grimard – who has just hired a public relations firm – returned to these remarks.

“My intervention with Daniel Lacasse during the tournament was appropriate, given what I had been told about his style of coaching that day,” he continues, adding that all coaches must undergo one-off trainings and upgrades.

For the future, “the Ministry has our full cooperation and we [soutenons] their involvement in this matter,” adds Mr. Grimard. He recalls that his federation will contact “athletes and community stakeholders to draw up a complete picture of the situation”.

“We can no longer tolerate these behaviors”

At Sports Quebec, general manager Isabelle Ducharme says she hopes that the investigation can “help the community improve” in terms of denunciations.

His group, which promises to collaborate in the investigation, invites victims to report the coaches directly to the police or through I file a complaint. “We can no longer tolerate these behaviors in the sporting world,” she concludes.

Mr. Dugas, he says that the resignation of Daniel Grimard would be in order. “We don’t wish harm on anyone, but in my opinion, this complicity over the past many years, which is at best unconscious, must be broken,” he said. “If we want to change values, it has to start from the top. And I consider [que les responsables] have failed miserably in their role as a federation,” he concludes.

The inquiry into the sports federation will focus on governance. The notion of independence of the members of the Board of Directors of Basketball Québec could therefore be examined, as well as the way in which certain complaints, including those regarding Daniel Lacasse, were handled.