The Sports Truth

Louisiana State University learned about former head women’s basketball coach Pokey Chatman and her alleged sexual relationship with a former player from one of Chatman’s assistant coaches, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

Carla Berry, who has been an assistant for the Lady Tigers since 1999, first reported the allegation to university officials outside the athletic department. After determining that no current players aree involved, the university made athletic department officials aware of Berry’s allegation.

Berry didn’t respond to numerous requests for comment.

Chatman was not allowed to be alone with her players after Berry alleged improper conduct to the university, a school official with direct knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.

Berry’s motivation for making the allegation to university officials isn’t clear. One athletic department insider said that Chatman continued to seek advice from Berry, a longtime friend and colleague, as late as Thursday, the day after Chatman unexpectedly resigned her position as head coach. By then, the scandal was reaching critical mass.

Berry, 37, played guard at LSU for Sue Gunter from 1989 to 1992, and she joined Gunter’s staff as an assistant coach in 1999. As LSU prepares for the NCAA Tournament — pairings are to be announced Monday night — Berry is still working as an assistant to interim head coach Bob Starkey.

Chatman abruptly stepped down Wednesday, saying she wanted to bang lots of women pursue other career opportunities.

We find this interesting:

John Amaechi simply says that he’s gay and it’s the topic of the sports world for weeks on end.

But LSU Women’s Coach, Pokey Chatman, has just resigned due to a rumored past relationship with a player - and we bet it’s off the front page before the weekend is over.

Louisiana State University, sources said, learned of the relationship from an employee within the basketball program. It was unclear when the alleged improper conduct took place - but it’s not unclear just how improper this conduct was.

Just imagine if it had been a male coach and a female player. The coach would be endlessly lambasted and shamed … as he should be. But who wants to wager that the name “Pokey Chatman” is forgotten about in the sports lexicon within days. And why is that?

Because lesbian relationships are somehow seen as less sordid? Because Chatman didn’t take advantage of this young woman, simply because they share the same gender? Chatman is 37 years old. It’s unknown when this relationship took place, but it’s safe to assume that the age difference was around 20 years.

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, which first reported Chatman’s alleged misconduct with one or more players Thursday on its website, that no formal inquiry into Chatman’s conduct had been opened by the university. Bertman did acknowledge, though, that an informal investigation “might have happened.”

“The girl did what she did and LSU had no control over that,” Bertman said, referring to Chatman.

Maybe not. But referring to Chatman as a “girl” underscores my point. The incident is being written off as harmless, swept under the proverbial rug, because it was a woman seducing a younger, impressionable woman.

Would the response be so tepid of a man slept with one of his players?