Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Syracuse Orange athletic department has some worries of their own going widely unnoticed due to the Manti Te’o saga going on in South Bend, Indiana. Roger Springfield (Real name Roger Cahak), former Syracuse University media director, has been indicted on four counts of second-degree unlawful surveillance. Springfield was arraigned last Tuesday then allowed release on his own recognizance until the trial begins January 22nd.
According to the charges, Springfield made secret videos of athletes in locker rooms on Nov. 10, 2012, two times in the spring of of that year, several occasions in the fall of the same year, as well as taking a break until April 14, 2012.
To be even more precise, Springfield is accused of making videos of athletes in locker rooms, in Syracuse as well as Florida. The former media director is being represented by James McGraw, who noted that Springfield is married with children (because that’s an alibi). He also states that there is “no evidence of sexual misbehavior”, okay?
Authorities have apparently recovered videos in which Springfield victimized over 100 former Syracuse athletes over a 10-year span. Springfield has been “cooperating” with the police and helped them find any additional videos they did not recover while executing their search warrant earlier in their investigation.
This all stemmed from a Syracuse athletic department employee stumbling upon one of the questionable videos while thinking he was looking at game film. As soon as he realized it was something else entirely, he quickly notified a superior, and proper steps were taken. Syracuse has released a statement regarding the situation:
“In mid-December, when Athletics Department staff discovered a potentially inappropriate video on a department computer, the University immediately referred this matter to the Syracuse Police Department and (the) Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. Following that referral to law enforcement, Roger Springfield’s employment with the University was terminated.
“Throughout this time, we have worked cooperatively with both law enforcement agencies as they have investigated and prosecuted this case. The recorded video, taken in a male locker room setting, has been secured by law enforcement and at this point they have indicated there is no evidence that it was shared with anyone or distributed.
“Our priority has been, and will continue to be, the well-being of our student-athletes. We are in direct contact with all of these specific current and former student-athletes, and the University is reaching out to offer them full access to appropriate support and assistance during this time. We are also appreciative of the hard work and professionalism of the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office in this case.”
Obviously, the university has already parted ways with Springfield. All that’s left for Springfield is for the other shoe to drop. Somehow, I don’t think anyone is buying “no proof of sexual misbehavior” when there’s hundreds of hours of young men being video taped as evidence.
Oh, you’re right, his lawyer said he is married….innocent!
Joking aside, his lawyer won’t completely release his defense strategy, but did point out that players shouldn’t have any expectation of privacy in a locker room.
He can’t be serious. I’m guessing, he’s hoping, that the NCAA is going to oversee his client’s trial.
Joe covers the Catholic Seven for Rant Sports. For the love of Sam Cassell, follow him on the Twitter Machine @JosephNardone
