Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Fletcher Thornton


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete. The article's subject is found to have fallen into a case of WP:BLP1E. &mdash; Coffee //  stole my cup  //  and beans  // 01:01, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Fletcher Thornton

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All of the coverage seems to be about allegations of sexual abuse/harassment and his resigning from his position on the USJA board. There's nothing to show he was ever convicted of anything and I think this may be a case of WP:BLP1E. Mdtemp (talk) 19:05, 24 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Sportspeople-related deletion discussions.  Everymorning   talk  19:24, 24 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of United States of America-related deletion discussions.  Everymorning   talk  19:26, 24 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Martial arts-related deletion discussions. Peter Rehse (talk) 21:43, 24 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Comment This is a tough call. There were allegations, there were resignations and there was a rule change.  How related they all were is debatable and not really backed up by sources.  I don't see the subject of the article as notable but if he was the center of a scandal with far reaching consequences that might make a case.  By the way the rule change that this apparently brought about just brought the AAU into line with other organizations that work with kids.  I am going to hold off a vote here for a bit.  There was some previous discussion on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Martial artsPeter Rehse (talk) 21:55, 24 March 2015 (UTC)
 * I do worry a little since these are allegations not convictions and in reality he resigned in the face of the allegations (he denied everything) rather than kicked-off.Peter Rehse (talk) 15:19, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
 * He was kicked out of the United States Judo Association. That seems like a conviction.  CrazyAces489 (talk) 18:39, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Actually one of the articles clearly quotes the chief executive of USA Judo (the sport's governing body in the U.S.) as saying he was not asked to resign. Papaursa (talk) 21:46, 29 March 2015 (UTC)


 * keep I would say keep.  I wouldn't be opposed to a merge into USA Judo  His actions over several years wasn't a single event.  It brought about major rule changes for all the Judo federations.  Him being thrown out was reported by ESPN, NY Times, USA Today, etc.   All major organizations.       Thrown out of USJA  .  This speaks about the implementation for background checks.   CrazyAces489 (talk) 04:13, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Delete falls under not tabloid. If we just say he was "the subject of numerous allegations" we engage in attack without specificity. This is a weak article that seems to be determined to avoid saying anything that is informative for fear of getting charged with liable, so we might as well just delete instead of having a fluff article that says nothing.John Pack Lambert (talk) 02:03, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Delete There is no evidence that any of the accusations were ever proven. There's also nothing to show the accusations had any impact on any USJA policies.  The only thing that's well documented is his resignation and that would fall under WP:BLP1E. Papaursa (talk) 21:46, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Redirect to United States Judo Association, where (ideally) well-sourced, referenced content on the whole affair (e.g., the New York Times article) should be included. Neutralitytalk 01:15, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The problem is the lack of any actual convictions. The New York Times article says "the sport’s most prominent organization, USA Judo, which oversees 8,000 athletes and the Olympic team, has taken no action. Thornton is on the executive board and his duties have included overseeing the board’s standards." It also says "Thornton, 69, of Middletown, Calif., was never charged with a crime and labeled the accusations false." The USJA is a minor organization, while USA Judo is the major governing body. Papaursa (talk) 03:44, 31 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Delete USJA really is a minor organization and the resignation of an official is not noteworthy - I don't think a redirect makes any sense.Peter Rehse (talk) 08:41, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.