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Adam Isaacks during his arrest by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office in December 2021.
This spring, Little League programs in Southeast Texas and across the nation will have tougher guidelines to protect their players as Little League International (LLI) recently announced updates to its Child Protection Program.
The action stems from a lawsuit filed by eight families, alleging that their sons were groomed and sexually assaulted by the former president of a Little League program and his wife.
On Feb. 28, 2022, the families filed a civil lawsuit against Adam Dale Isaacks, Miranda Lynn Dukes Isaacks, Little League Baseball, Inc., Texas District 12 Little League, Evadale Little League and Bear Creek Hunting Club in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
The families alleged their sons were groomed and sexually assaulted by Adam Isaacks, of Lumberton, the president of the Evadale Little League and youth baseball coach, and wife, Miranda Isaacks. The boys were between age 9 and 11 at the time of the offense.
Adam Isaacks was criminally charged in December 2021 with his total bond set at $7 million.
June 28, he pled guilty to four counts of transporting a minor for purposes of sexual activity in the Eastern District of Texas before Judge Marcia A. Crone. According to the Eastern District of Texas, an investigation revealed instances where several minor victims were transported by Isaacks from the Eastern District of Texas to outside the state.
While outside of Texas, Isaacks engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the minor victims. The trips were verified with records from airlines, credit card information, photos and witnesses, according to court documents.
Under federal statutes, Isaacks faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing will be determined by the court at a sentencing hearing to be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
According to the Eastern District of Texas, no sentencing date has been scheduled for Isaacks.
The Examiner reached out to LLI concerning the situation by email. Kevin Fountain, the senior director of communication for LLI, replied that the organization cannot comment on the specific details of the resolution of this matter, as it is confidential due to a court order.
“Little League International (LLI) remains heartbroken for the children and their families who were victimized by these heinous acts and we are disgusted by anyone who preys on innocent children,” stated Fountain. “Little League International prides itself on being a leader in child protection and safety, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any type of misconduct directed at anyone, particularly our participants, in our thousands of community programs in more than 80 countries around the world.”
Updates to program
Oct. 25, LLI stated that, starting with the 2024 season, there are two key enhancements to its Child Protection Program to help in continued evolution and commitment to player safety.
The first is enhanced background checks, utilizing a more robust product that features a higher level of protection from its partner, J.D. Palatine (JDP). The enhanced screening includes the JDP National Criminal Search, plus developed names, and collects data from more than 685 million criminal records, sex offender registries in 50 states, OFAC, FBI Terrorist List, Proprietary Offender Data, Department of Public Safety, Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Corrections, federal/state/local wanted fugitive lists, as well as searches of the SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database and Little League International Ineligible/Suspended List.
Identifiers are used, such as full names, developed names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers to identify matches.
LLI will continue to provide leagues with 125 free background checks through the JDP process, but will charge $1.50 per additional background check.
All volunteers with regular, repetitive access to players, including district administrators and assistant district administrators, are required to complete the volunteer application through the background check process.
Also, LLI encourages local Little League programs to have all volunteers ensure all applicable state laws are being followed (www.LittleLeague.org/ StateLaws).
Abuse training
The second enhancement is required abuse awareness training for adults, beginning in 2024. Training will be a required part of the annual volunteer application, along with the annual background check. The training must be completed before any individual can assume any duties for the current season, including district administrators and assistant district administrators.
Each league must determine which abuse awareness training its volunteers must complete. USA Baseball’s BASE Abuse Awareness Training is free online training that is SafeSport-compliant. Each individual is responsible for providing their league with documentation to show that they’ve completed Abuse Awareness Training annually.
In 1998, LLI was the first youth sports organization to establish a Child Protection Program and to require background checks for all its volunteers. According to LLI, the program was updated in 2018 to reflect the mandates set forth by the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Act of 2017.”
The act required that all amateur sports organizations, which participate in an interstate or international amateur athletic competition and whose membership includes any adult who is in regular contact with an amateur athlete who is a minor, must report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, within 24 hours to law enforcement.
“We are continually reviewing and updating our safety protocols based on the best available research, industry standards, and appropriate legal requirements to always ensure Little League is providing our volunteers, parents, and families with the most comprehensive Child Protection Program to help keep our participants safe in every way possible in their communities,” added Fountain. “Little League International will continue to champion the rights and protections of our Little Leaguers and all children across the globe.”