Know Bo wrote:
Thank you irant! Bo should not have acted on his feelings. Only Bo and the girl know what happened between them. It is sad that he has ruined his life. I don't condone him, but I do feel sorry for him.
It isn't sad he ruined his life. He made the conscience decision to ruin a 17 year old girl's life. Some of these posts proclaiming a 17 year old girl is physically mature so the coach's behavior is fine are ridiculous. So what if she is "physically" mature? Science has proven the brain doesn't mature until the age of 25. Teenagers are notorious for making poor decisions based on a lack of life experience. It is up to the 48 year old to be the "adult" in this situation. Not to mention, he is in a position of authority, which makes it even worse.
My daughter was on a team with a pervert for a coach. He constantly texted, called, and made inappropriate remarks to the girls. He especially loved to prey on girls who didn't have a father in their lives. In addition, he didn't want any of the girls on the team to have a boyfriend. Though fired from one school for his inappropriate behavior, for some unknown reason, my daughter's school administrators hired him when she was a junior. Fortunately, enough parents complained and the "man" was fired.
Any coach/teacher - male or female - who abuses their authority by becoming sexually involved with a student/athlete - deserves no sympathy. It is disgusting.