The Cover Up Is What Kills You
The first mistake is often damaging. The cover up is what destroys trust.
That was the lesson of Richard Nixon and Watergate. The original break-in was serious. The larger collapse came from the effort to deny, hide, delay, deflect, and protect those in power. Once leaders choose preservation over truth, the institution becomes part of the harm.
That appears to be the deeper issue in a Nebraska women’s basketball matter, started some three (3) years ago. A former assistant coach reportedly admitted, just recently in a deposition, to a sexual relationship with a former player after earlier denials. The lawsuit alleges the institution failed to protect the player and mishandled what followed.
The power dynamic was wrong from the beginning. A coach holds influence over playing time, status, team belonging, future opportunity, and emotional security. A player is not operating from an equal position. Even when conduct is framed as a relationship, the imbalance cannot be ignored. Authority changes the meaning of consent, pressure, silence, and fear.
The institutional failure, if the allegations are proven, is even larger. The people with power (university leaders, the Athletics Director, Head Coach, administrators) appear to have protected the system, the brand, the department, and each other. The player, a starter, when initial discovered, unofficially was suspended. The assistant coach kept coaching. The player became the expendable person. The adults with authority managed risk. The athlete carried consequences.
That is where organizations lose moral standing.
Universities, athletic departments, nonprofits, companies, and boards all face the same test. When misconduct surfaces, leaders can protect the vulnerable person or protect the hierarchy. They can seek truth or manage optics. They can ask who was harmed or ask how to contain the story.
The cover up kills because it compounds the original wound. It tells victims they were never the priority. It tells staff that loyalty matters more than honesty. It tells the public that the mission statement was negotiable.
Watergate remains relevant because it revealed a pattern still common in institutions. Power first. Truth later. The lesson is not only political. It is organizational. When leaders hide behind process, titles, legal language, or silence, they may win a day. They lose the future.
My expectation is that this will never be fully tested in a courtroom. These matters rarely are. The power brokers tend to settle. Agreements are reached. Statements are issued. The system resets. The formal/actual truth is never revealed, even if it is a public entity. Whether anything was learned is less clear.
The better response is still available. Name the power imbalance. Protect the person with less power. Separate institutional loyalty from ethical duty. Investigate without favoritism. Do not punish the person who was vulnerable while preserving the people who controlled the environment.
The first wrong act can create a crisis.
The cover up can and does negatively define the institution.
