Sarah Pavan Throws A Grenade At the Husker Volleyball Program

by Jon Johnston on Feb 26, 2008 12:31 AM CST in Volleyball Comment 4 comments

Last Saturday, the Lincoln Journal Star/Husker Extra published an article by Katelyn Kerkhove about Sarah Pavan. The article presented Pavan as someone who has reached just about as far as she could as an athlete and student, but still feels misunderstood and doesn't like the attention she receives. She also feels somewhat slighted by her teammates.

In fact, Pavan said she can’t remember a time when her teammates acknowledged an honor she had received.

"Oh, I’ve never been congratulated for anything I’ve gotten," she said. "I’ve actually had it said to me before, ‘Why do you have to get every award that there is? You like the attention, don’t you?’ It’s hard because I’m actually the complete opposite. I hate the attention. It’s just hard to see that the people you are around so often don’t even know you."

It doesn't take a lot of reading between the lines to understand what happened to the 2007 volleyball team. Between setter Rachel Holloway's transfer and Pavan's comments there obviously was a problem with team chemistry last season.

Some Husker fans are upset that the LJS printed the article, from the Husker Extra blog by a poster calling himself woodstock we get:

My final thoughts. Probably poor judgement on LJS to print this...Suddenly with one stroke of a pen the LJS has a cast a huge cloud over a great program. Just leaves the reader with huge question marks about Pavan, about her family, about NU Volleyball, about her teammates, about John Cook, about LJS judgement. Once again, just a very strange article to pop up out of nowhere about a program, a player, a coach who have had so much success. Someone else used the word smear.

Todd Henrichs, sports editor made this comment on why the story was published, again from the Husker Extra blog:

Fans always want more volleyball coverage, but it seems like they want us to write the same story over and over again.

I struggled with the decision of whether to run this story, but in the end, I determined that it was one that volleyball fans would find of interest.

For me, that's the bottom line.

He's a newspaper guy, an editor. What's he supposed to do, print articles about flowers, and bunnies and how they're loved by Husker women athletes? If someone brings him a story like this and it's properly vetted, isn't it his job to publish it? Or do you honestly think that he's supposed to bury it in the interest of the athletic department while those might be contrary to those of his publisher?

The story isn't done yet. According to an article in the Daily Nebraskan, the Husker Extra/LJS article has lead to Pavan being removed from the team. The DN article includes this quote from former setter Rachel Holloway, who has quit volleyball and transferred to Alabama:

"I hope people will stop judging Sarah for telling the truth and how she honestly feels," said Rachel Holloway, the setter on Nebraska's 2006 National Championship team.

"I'm proud of Sarah for being honest, and if it hurts other people maybe they should look at themselves," added Holloway, an All-American who left the Husker volleyball team and the university earlier this year and transferred to Alabama University.

John Cook has removed Sarah Pavan from practicing with a team that's moving on without her. Can you blame him? His 2008 season depends on his team coming together, not whether or not Sarah Pavan is happy, sad, misunderstood or frustrated.

There is some indication from reading through the comments at the LJS blog and the Daily Nebraskan article that this story was never intended to be published, but instead was a journalism class assignment. That sounds a little off since it was done for "Redwire", which is a publication from the College of Journalism.

If all that weren't enough, Rich Kern's comments on the DN article are as disturbing as anything in the articles:

Knowing my comment was taken out of context and misused, I fear the first article and the follow-up were examples of journalism at its worst. An agenda was developed and quotes were used to support this agenda. The first article almost single-handedly did something no one else has been able to do and that is shut down Sarah Pavan. This article destroyed her relationship with her former teammates and coaches and made it basically impossible for her to go back in the gym with them. It has cast a shadow on her entire illustrious and extraordinary career. It has damaged team chemistry and potentially damaged future recruiting efforts.

I know how badly my comment was misused, so I am convinced much of what Sarah said was also slanted and turned into something ugly by a reporter out for glory. It's a sad thing that the University school of journalism would allow one reporter to so abuse power that so much has been destroyed. It is sad that so many were so quick to believe it. It is sad one un-checked reporter was making a reputation at the expense of a great program that brilliantly promotes the University of Nebraska.

Ouch. Unfortunately the comments by Holloway and Pavan's refusal to apologize to her former teammates imply that her comments weren't slanted.

But wait, there's more! An editorial in the DN calls on coach John Cook to apologize to Pavan, saying:

In general, the incident illustrates the insanity behind UNL's Athletic Department public-relations machine. Every soundbyte must be pre-approved; every interview must be officially arranged; appearance trumps truth.

The University of Nebraska and the media around the program have typically done a pretty decent job of wrapping the Husker package and putting it under the tree with a nice, big bow. Our media isn't nearly as vicious as most other programs are treated. I'm not 100% sure that's a good thing. On the other hand, you can't have members of any organization going around saying whatever they want to the media because there are always consequences.

The bottom line is that Pavan knew that her comments would be published. Honesty is one thing, but teams are supposed to act like families, and I can tell you right now that I wouldn't print an article here about a fight with one of my sisters without first telling her that it was coming. Some things should stay within the family, unless my goal was to intentionally hurt my sister.

Here's the thing about my sisters. None of them have a public forum on which they can respond. Neither do any of the current Husker volleyball players, otherwise the whole thing becomes a "she said, she said" mess out of which nothing but more damage will occur. This is exactly why you try to keep a handle on your team, your family, even your co-workers.

Neither Pavan nor Holloway are members of the team moving forward. They can take whatever shots they like without consequences of anything other than ruining any relationships they might have had. That puts them at an unfair advantage, and that's where I have a problem with what Pavan did. She threw a grenade at her former teammates and coach. Given the chance to take it back, she refused. One can only conclude that the damage it did was intended. That's unfortunate as the one who will most likely be hurt the most in the long run is Pavan.

Poll

Your Reaction

Thanks for the memories, Sarah, now goodbye

136 votes

The LJS should have never printed the article

33 votes

John Cook needs to apologize

34 votes

What the hell is going on at the college of journalism?

48 votes

Pavan was justified in telling the truth regardless of the consequences

203 votes

Sarah Pavan should have kept her mouth shut

89 votes

543 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 4 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Tommie Frazier was never beloved by his teammates

But that never took away from the fact he was one of the greatest football players ever to play at Nebraska. Same thing for Sarah Pavan. I don't doubt that Pavan's emotions and feelings are real; what was her only alternative, to purposely try to fail or not try to be her best?

We can debate as to what Pavan actually said, or whether there was a slightly better context to what everyone said (see Rich Kern's comments). But I think the reporters for "Redwire" found smoke and found a fire in the NU volleyball program.

I don't agree that anybody has been "thrown under the bus" here. It's an unfortunate situation.

by Husker Mike on Feb 26, 2008 8:24 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately

the damage has been done between Pavan and the VB program. You kinda wonder what we're not getting from both sides but it's been so mucked up and everyone is feeling butthurt so we will never know what happened.

I wonder if TO can mend some fences here too.

by 96operator on Feb 26, 2008 9:51 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I've got to say...

...that I'll preface this by admitting to a high level of naivete about NU Volleyball and the legend of Sarah Pavan. But I know a bit about the media and UNL J-school, so here goes.

First of all, she totally contradicts herself in the first pulled quote. If she honestly "hated the attention" (sic) then it would stand to reason that her teammates demonstrated actually knowing her quite well (by her claim that they never offered her any form of congratulations for her numerous achievements and honors.) Logic also dictates that if her claims were true, the far-fetched notion that Pavan provides (she never received any sort of of compliment from any of her former teammates) shouldn't seem to be something that would bother her. So she's basically saying "I hate the attention...but my teammates didn't give me enough attention...why don't these people know me?!" Give me a break...is it possible that she didn't get the attention (she allegedly hates) because it turns out that the perennial all-american is a prima donna? My guess is that it's possible.

I don't feel that the whole slant of "it was a student publication", "it wasn't meant to be published" (or whatever) lets Pavan off the hook for that inherent flaw in the premise of her initial quote. But worse yet is Rich Kern (whoever he is) who has the stones to fall back on the time honored tradition of blaming the messenger. I guess it's just easier for him to blame some sort of "hidden agenda" by the "evil journalism apparatus" and their dreaded ongoing knack for taking quotes "out of context" (quotes that he openly admits as being accurate, mind you) than it is to just say "no comment" when the maverick j-school reporter comes calling in the first place. What a douche...here's a hint, Mr. Expert-in-Journalism-Ethics: The article didn't "destroy Pavan's relationship with her former teammates"...She did that herself when she made her comments to a reporter.

But in any event...thanks for capsulizing a story that would've otherwise missed my radar, if not for you.

by DTsker on Feb 27, 2008 12:22 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I just don't get it.

She sounds like a whiner to me. Like when rock stars write songs about how much it sucks to be a rock star. Hate the attention? Don't talk to reporters. Want people to congratulate you? Be nice to your teammates. Not a team player? Well, get new girls who are. Sports are not just about performance. They are social groups that require a definite dynamic in order to succeed. Cook's probably learned his lesson about getting a girl with baggage. Like recruiting with any other sport, you want to find players who will work well with others.

http://doombob.com

by doombob on Feb 27, 2008 8:36 AM CST reply actions 0 recs