Webber Bill Aims to Keep Predators Away from Student Athletes

MORRIS COUNTY – He authored landmark legislation known as “pass the trash,” signed into law in 2018, to keep sexual predators out of the classroom. Assemblyman Jay Webber wants to keep student athletes safe from predatory coaches.

On Thursday, the Assemblyman introduced a bill requiring anyone working with student athletes to undergo annual background checks.

“This isn’t the Saturday morning Little League of our childhood. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with the push to discover the next Shohei Ohtani or Caitlin Clark. The increasing demand for coaches and trainers and the popularity of travel teams has created more opportunities for our athletes while at the same time increasing their chances of being exposed to harm,” Webber (R-Morris) said. “Sadly, men and women who want to harm children find ways to work with children. And the lack of regulation and oversight within many youth sports makes it an attractive opportunity for predators.”

The bill comes on the heels of an explosive NJ.com investigation published this week that found more than 100 coaches, trainers, and sports complex owners have been accused of sex crimes against minors, 57 of those happening since 2020. Many were able to exploit the lack of background checks or inaccurate, out-of-date offender databases to gain access to victims.

A lack of uniform state law has allowed problematic coaches to avoid scrutiny and continue operating in the coaching realm. Despite thousands of youth sports teams across more than 20 sports, requirements for coaches vary drastically from league to league. Some require stringent background checks while others have none at all. The investigation found that some coaches with formal criminal charges are not on these lists. Some are on the list but still actively coaching.

The state sex offender registry, created under Megan’s Law in 1994, does little to deter offenders or prevent sex crimes, according to a 2009 study cited in the investigation. Seventy-two percent of that law’s offenders don’t appear on the registry. Only 14 of the 118 coaches accused of sex crimes since 2015 are registered sex offenders online.

Webber, a father of eight and a volunteer baseball, softball, and basketball coach, said he’s glad the NJ.com investigation has brought this critical issue to light. 

“My children have been in every sport imaginable, and overall, sports have provided our kids with tremendous experiences and incredible opportunities.  Parents perform their due diligence to keep their kids safe while they enjoy youth sports, but the tools are broken,” Webber said. “My bill will create uniform mandates for criminal background checks and tough penalties to encourage compliance for all youth sports coaches, trainers, and anyone working with our young athletes to keep predators away.”