On June 2, I held my first meeting with the media since the Providence Journal and Hartford Courant jointly broke theon February 5, 2012. Here are my remarks:
June 3, 2016
For Immediate Release
Dan Doyle Remarks at June 2nd
Press Conference
(Mr. Doyle’s
first meeting with the media since the Hartford
Courant and the Providence Journal
jointly broke the story of his case on February 5, 2012)
Good morning
everyone.
As succinctly
as possible, I will provide some insight into this case and the status of the
Institute for International Sport.
The Institute
opened in a one room-office on the URI campus on July 1, 1986. I would not change one thing that we have
done since the day we opened. This
includes the fact that, whenever money was needed, it was my family who provided
the money.
Let me begin
by addressing the issue of evaluation.
Any organization that grants funds is obligated to conduct a careful
review of how the funds were expended.
We have presented two detailed public information requests to the State
of Rhode Island, including specific requests that relate to the overall
evaluative practices of the State of Rhode Island, and which request any and
all evaluations conducted by the State of Rhode Island on the work of the
Institute for International Sport. The
requests address the importance of receiving complete answers to all questions
raised, since these answers relate directly to my innocence and civil
rights. In the requests, public in
nature, and in plain sight, we have specifically asked for such normal
evaluative information as comparative analysis -- how did we stack up against
other Rhode Island non-profits receiving state grants … surely, the evaluations
must have included economic impact … how much funding did we and other
non-profits bring into the State of Rhode Island from sources outside the State.
Chip is now
pursuing the answers and he, better than I, can best address appropriate legal
recourse, should the answers not be forthcoming. For my part, I will be taking another form of
protest, perfectly legal, if it becomes apparent that these questions are not
being answered in a proper manner.
Status of the Institute
for International Sport
The key for
any start-up organization, which ours surely was in 1986, is to create assets…
assets that encourage donors, corporate sponsors and the like to provide
assistance to a vision. I have been
privileged to conceive all Institute for International Sport assets, including
the World Scholar-Athlete Games, National Sportsmanship Day and my books; my
books have served as a key calling card in opening doors and establishing
critical relationships that have benefited the Institute immensely.
Since
February, 2012, I have, as a matter of protest, refused to accept a salary,
refused to request funding from any outside source, and I have paid all Institute
bills out of my own pocket.
A major
focal point of my work since February 5, 2012, when this story broke, has been
to create new assets for the Institute; assets that will ensure our
future. All of these assets are designed
to create good… to address issues of societal importance. The assets that I have developed since
February 2012 include a play on the life of Shoeless Joe Jackson which
addresses such matters as race and illiteracy and will be brought to college
campuses; a CD of songs that I have recorded, and pre-production of
documentaries, including a documentary on the Grand Jury System. My reason for undertaking these projects
relates to my awareness that creating a Scholar-Athlete Games Documentary and
Music Division, which we have done, will open up many new avenues of positive
impact. I also realized that if we were
to make this Division a serious part of our work, that I needed to learn, firsthand,
how to do these things so that I could then properly advise our
Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Artists.
An Organization That
Encourages Non-Violent Protest
My
experience since February 2012 has caused me to determine that a centerpiece
for the Institute and the Scholar-Athlete Games, going forward, will be to
encourage our Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Artists to engage in non-violent
protests; and we will advise along the way.
We have a global alumni base that has waited for our call to action
since closing ceremonies in 1993. This
case has delayed the issuing of that call.
But the first formal call to action is coming -- and will be issued at the forthcoming African
Scholar-Athlete Games; a project that we initiated with a pilot program in Namibia
in 2013 -- and will evolve into a full-scale event involving all 54 African
countries. Protest initiatives we will
foster will include Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Artists writing songs, producing
documentaries, and writing plays and books and essays about various forms of
injustice. I can assure you that much
good will come from these initiatives, as much good has come from the work we
started in 1986.
Media Ethics
I have dealt
with the media since I was a high school athlete. In a general sense, I have very
high regard for the media – and great respect for the difficulty of the job. One of our best events ever at the Institute
was a Sports Media Ethics Symposium, chaired for us by Alex Wolff of Sports Illustrated and Sandy Padwe, at
the time, acting dean of the Columbia School of Journalism. As has been the case since our founding in
1986, this event, and every other Institute sponsored event, was made available
to URI students, faculty and administrators at no charge.
It would be
impossible for me to convey my outrage regarding the manner in which the media
has reported on this case since February 5, 2012. Rather than engage the media, I decided to
create a media ethics project; a project in which every word and every report
on this case, since February 2012, is being scrutinized and will be turned over
eventually to a J school for objective analysis and conclusions regarding the
fairness or lack thereof of the reporting.
The project includes relentless research on exactly who planted many of
the stories that appeared.
I am
convinced that while the report could turn out to be quite painful for certain
members of the media, it will serve as an invaluable resource going
forward. One of the many issues that
will be addressed in the report is why the media, in May 2013, 16 months after
Gordon Fox called for an investigation and the indictments were finally issued… the process is the punishment as you may know… why the media failed to conduct a detailed investigation
of the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of each indictment. It is too late now.
I am deeply
concerned that the information on the Internet may well deprive me of my right
to a fair trial. By Googling my name,
you will see what I mean.
As a young
teacher, I taught a class in which we used the New York Times as the textbook -- specifically, the Times op ed
page. I became a big fan of the late
Anthony Lewis, particularly for his enlightened views on the First
Amendment. His book, Freedom from the Thought We Hate, is a
classic which reflected his clear understanding of the amendments noble purpose. I still read the New York Times Op Ed page
every day and view David Brooks as a worthy successor to Mr. Lewis. Never once have I read a Brooks Op Ed that I
felt was rooted in inequity.
I believe
the Media Ethics Project will point to the real fact that no industry is in
greater need for introspection than the media, and no amendment, with the
possible exception of the fourth amendment, is more abused than the first
amendment.
A Request
I would be
grateful if members of the media would go back to the fall of 2011 and examine
to what extent, if any, your reporting of this situation was influenced by
outside forces. I make this request
respectfully, and add that if you do conclude that outside influence in any way
compromised your objectivity that you take some form of action, in whatever way
you feel appropriate. I think you will agree that no institution is inviolable,
and I thank you for your consideration of this important request.
Patrick Kennedy
I will not
discuss today anything of a specific nature regarding the trial, including
witnesses and the like. However, I do invite
you to call Mr. Kennedy and ask him if he stands by the statement he made to
the Hartford Courant… and ask who were the sources he used to make
such a statement.
Turning Outrage into
Positive Purpose
I have found
that outrage carries with it great energy. I have also found that if you work at it, you can turn the energy into
positive purpose. Good, I assure you,
will come from this experience.
I can also
assure you that I will not leave this planet until my name is cleared, as in
completely cleared, and until the individuals behind this are held fully
accountable within the law.
