False Accusations vs. Sean Miller

[Sonoma Muskie]

Have you ever been falsely accused in public of serious misconduct or a crime? It stings.
At an airport gate in front of about 50+ people a cashier from the sundry store erroneously accused me of stealing a $1 newspaper. I told her I bought it from a vending machine elsewhere. Nonetheless it really embarrassed me.
How do you think Sean Miller feels? Latest reports are indicating that there are many inaccuracies in the earlier accusations against Miller. The new digital media suffers from even more lack of integrity than the traditional news source have treated the gullible public to. It was called media bias before Trump dubbed “false news.”

[JKC74]

Have you ever been falsely accused in public of serious misconduct or a crime? It stings.
At an airport gate in front of about 50+ people a cashier from the sundry store erroneously accused me of stealing a $1 newspaper. I told her I bought it from a vending machine elsewhere. Nonetheless it really embarrassed me.
How do you think Sean Miller feels? Latest reports are indicating that there are many inaccuracies in the earlier accusations against Miller. The new digital media suffers from even more lack of integrity than the traditional news source have treated the gullible public to. It was called media bias before Trump dubbed “false news.”

You are so right!! Remember the Duke Lacrosse Case?? All lies perpetrated by media hounds not wishing to be confused by the facts.

[mumuskie87]

I said this in other thread and will say it again - too often people are being found guilty in the media before they have had a chance for their due process through our court system.
Unfortunately, media sources such as ESPN can claim absence of malice and not face any consequences if their initial reporting is inaccurate.
Maybe Sean Miller is guilty, maybe he isn't but it's not ESPN's place to determine that. I'm just a bean counter, not a lawyer but supposedly Jay Bilas has a law degree. Guess he doesn't remember much from his schooling.
This reminds a little of one my favorite movies - Absence of Malice. Wilford Brimley steals the movie, IMO.

[Sonoma Muskie]

I have my J.D. The landmark case of NY Times v. Sullivan in 1964 set the modern American standard in defamation/libel cases that a public figure must prove “actual malice” to prevail. That’s a pretty high standard. A private party must only show falsehood.

[mumuskie87]

I have my J.D. The landmark case of NY Times v. Sullivan in 1964 set the modern American standard in defamation/libel cases that a public figure must prove “actual malice” to prevail. That’s a pretty high standard. A private party must only show falsehood.

You would be way ahead of me from a legal knowledge.
With that, is Sean Miller as coach of a public university considered a public figure?
That would be my guess but again I'm just an accountant.

[Pierre Dracot]

How do you know the accusations are false?-- You're in for a rude awakening. (Clue: Miller isn't coaching the team and isn't attending practices.)

[titansbaseball01]

How do you know the accusations are false?-- You're in for a rude awakening. (Clue: Miller isn't coaching the team and isn't attending practices.)

There are many sources starting to retract their statements that came out over the weekend. Also, it seems as if the context around the tape is very murky. Meaning, the date, subject, and what exactly Miller meant in his statement are uncertain. It seems as if there was a lot of speculation from those who heard it and put the report out.

So the bottom line that even if he is guilty of all that is reported, the media came out and threw his name under the bus before any real facts came out and before he was proven to have actually done what he has accused of doing.

[ChitownSteve]

I have my J.D. The landmark case of NY Times v. Sullivan in 1964 set the modern American standard in defamation/libel cases that a public figure must prove “actual malice” to prevail. That’s a pretty high standard. A private party must only show falsehood.

Unfortunately, I do know this first-hand. Served as an elected official in my town of roughly 55,000 residents for twelve years. On three separate occasions, once by an opponent, once by an attorney (with the help of an on-line news entity) and once by a print newspaper, such libelous falsehoods occurred. Will not bore everyone with the details of each. At least the print newspaper printed a buried correction and apology.

In the smear by the opponent, my private sector employer was included. Counsel advised that my employer possessed standing to sue, should it wish. However, as you cited, as a "public figure", my chances were nil.

Last year the Chicago Tribune ran an article where a judge, in a separate instance, sanctioned the Attorney who libeled me.

We all hope Sean Miller is cleared. If so, Coach Miller has every right to ask the question former Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan uttered after being acquitted, "(W)hich office do I go to, to get my reputation back." ESPN should then be throttled.

The concern and cloud about Book Richardson remains.

[ChitownSteve]

I have my J.D. The landmark case of NY Times v. Sullivan in 1964 set the modern American standard in defamation/libel cases that a public figure must prove “actual malice” to prevail. That’s a pretty high standard. A private party must only show falsehood.

Unfortunately, I do know this first-hand. Served as an elected official in my town of roughly 55,000 residents for twelve years. On three separate occasions, once by an opponent, once by an attorney (with the help of an on-line news entity) and once by a print newspaper, such libelous falsehoods occurred. Will not bore everyone with the details of each. At least the print newspaper printed a buried correction and apology.

In the smear by the opponent, my private sector employer was included. Counsel advised that my employer possessed standing to sue, should it wish. However, as you cited, as a "public figure", my chances were nil.

Last year the Chicago Tribune ran an article where a judge, in a separate instance, sanctioned the Attorney who libeled me.

We all hope Sean Miller is cleared. If so, Coach Miller has every right to ask the question former Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan uttered after being acquitted, "(W)hich office do I go to, to get my reputation back." ESPN should then be throttled.

The concern and cloud about Book Richardson remains.

[tacitus]

Who has retracted statements? I've read an awful lot of bloggers coming to their own conclusions about a conspiracy or an unfair trial in the court of public opinion. And I have read and heard a several level-headed people argue that we should wait on more details before condemning the man as a cheater or, worse, criminal. But most people in the know, connected to college basketball and sports journalism, and who have caught wind of details we haven't heard yet, firmly believe that at the very least Miller's career is over.

ESPN has retracted an on-air statement about the timeframe for the recorded call. They have not retracted 1) that calls between Miller and Dawkins were made, 2) that calls between the two were recorded, 3) that Miller discussed paying Ayton on the recordings. Some sources are saying that certain members of the press have access to a lot more details they are not yet at liberty to share.

Even those level-headed voices, such as Pat Forde, who are urging us to reserve judgement on Miller, admit that Book Richardson almost certainly got Ayton money to go to AU and that even if Miller was not directly involved, which is not out of the question, his days as a coach are numbered.

Miller may never be arrested or charged with a crime, and he have never committed an actual crime, and he may have never broken an NCAA rule, but there is no proof that Pitino did either, and he will never coach a major D1 program again. I doubt Miller will be coaching at AU again.

Initial decision to be made today...

Also... the term is "fake news" and it is "fake news" that the POTUS invented the term.