NJ.com regularly publishes editorials expressing the viewpoints of the organization’s leadership. This editorial was authored by Tony Dearing, director of news operations.
As a player, he never stood out. As a coach, he had no credentials to speak of.
Yet Terry Kuo somehow ingratiated himself with the parents of a budding young athlete, promising he’d make her a star. And yes, he was grooming their daughter. But not for tennis.
Kuo is currently serving 56 years in prison after being convicted on 14 counts of sexual assault and taking pornographic photos.
At his trial, prosecutors described Kuo as “incomprehensibly manipulative and predatory.” His playbook was a manual found on the dark web, “How to Practice Child Love.”
The girl he violated was 12 years old.
And we don’t know what we find more horrifying:
How easy it was for Kuo to pass himself off as a legitimate coach and tennis guru and gain unfettered access to his intended victim.
Or how many vile creeps like him are lurking out there in the burgeoning but largely unrelated industry around travel leagues, coaching and training for child athletes as young as 6 or 7 years old.
It’s all chronicled in “Prey to Play,” a shocking and stomach-turning expose by our reporters Matthew Stanmyre and Keith Sargeant.
Their investigation found youth sports in New Jersey has become infested with an alarming number of sexual predators.
A first-of-its-kind database compiled by NJ Advance Media shows that, since 2015, at least 118 youth sports coaches, trainers or industry workers have been accused of sex crimes across the state. That includes at least 62 instances of alleged sexual misconduct since 2020 — and 10 since the beginning of this year.
The inadequacies of current safeguards are clear. They’re lax and haphazard, to the extent that they exist at all.
And the inattention of sports organizations and parents to this growing threat is appalling. Open your eyes, people. Children are being preyed upon.
Based on the findings in our special report, at least three things seem woefully missing in the all-too-often negligent behemoth that youth sports has become as traditional youth recreation programs give way to travel teams and parent-funded private coaching and training.
The most immediate need is for lawmakers to pass a requirement that all team coaches, trainers or private coaches in youth sports undergo some background check or are subject to a coaching registration system.
In addition, our investigation points to the need for a reliable database of coaches and trainers who’ve been charged with or convicted of sex offenses, child abuse or other crimes.
Parental education programs are needed as well.
After all, it’s the parental obsession with their children’s sports pursuits that has morphed youth sports into an mega-industry — and created this fertile new ground for predators.
The Aspen Institute estimates parents now pour $30-$40 billion dollars a year into the starry-eyed quest to turn their child into the next Coco Gauff or Ace Bailey.
Their Instagram accounts burst with glowing reports of their son’s or daughter’s exploits. And their inbox quickly fills with messages from total strangers who want that child for their travel team or will gladly provide private coaching or training for $50 a session.
But who are these people? Are they legit? It’s hard for parents to know.
Ideally, each league and sport would regulate itself. There are good models for that. One would be US Club Soccer, which has a stringent vetting system that includes registration, background checks, annual certification and online courses that teach parents and athletes how to guard against the risks of sexual abuse, recognize the warning signs and report misconduct, should it occur.
But such rigor is a rarity. That’s why New Jersey lawmakers must step in and impose this obligation on coaches and youth sports associations.
Immediately following our report, numerous lawmakers expressed outrage, and state Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris, introduced legislation that would require all coaches in youth sports organizations in New Jersey, including private teams and trainers, to undergo annual background checks before working with athletes under the age of 18.
State Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, and Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, have since co-sponsored a version of that bill in the Senate.
We’re encouraged by this indication that the bill is being fast-tracked and call upon lawmakers to pass legislation this year. The findings of our investigation should be all the ammunition they need.
We see an equal need for a more reliable database of individuals in New Jersey who are convicted of sex offenses or facing such charges.
Existing systems in New Jersey to protect young athletes do little to prevent sex crimes and can foster a false sense of security among parents, experts told us. In fact, of the 118 coaches accused of sex crimes in this state since 2015, only 14 are registered sex offenders online, an NJ Advance Media analysis found.
In the brave new world of artificial intelligence, it should be more possible than ever to generate a comprehensive, current sex offender registry. Lawmakers should be looking at that as well.
And we need actions like this now.
There’s little innocence left in childhood these days. But every child who swings a bat or laces up the skates still dreams what kids have always dreamed of. Playing shortstop for the Yankees. Winning Wimbledon. Sinking that buzzer-beater in the NCAA tourney.
Precious few will ever realize that. But every one of these children is precious. They’re allowed to dream. What we as adults can’t allow is for some monster to turn that dream into horror.
Tony Dearing is director of News Operations for NJ Advance Media, and the author of an award-winning column on brain health and dementia. He may be reached at tdearing@njadvancemedia.com.
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