About Broken Trust
Broken Trust gives voice to the courageous women and men who have dared to speak up against abuse on all levels. Told through interviews with Olympic and national-class athletes, coaches and experts, Broken Trust looks at how and why abuse takes place and what needs to be done to stop it.
Beyond the attention-grabbing headlines, this documentary gives viewers a candid look at the secret world of sexual and emotional abuse experienced by athletes.
With unflinching honesty, Broken Trust shows how athletes are isolated and ostracized for speaking out, how parents are pressured to keep silent when confronted by predators in the guise of well-meaning coaches, and how athletes who dare to challenge the status quo are denied much-needed financial assistance.
With the foundation of awareness about sexual abuse brought about by the #metoo movement, Broken Trust is a film whose time is now.
"Through her documentary Broken Trust: Athlete Abuse Exposed,” Jill Yesko offers an entry point and invaluable educational tool for parents, gym owners, school administrators and athletes themselves. Couched in a love of sports, the film is honest, illuminating and in no way exploitative. I commend it highly to all who care about athletes’ well-being.”
-- Liz Clarke, Washington Post sportswriter
Broken Trust is available for rental to show at your school, organization, non-profit or for theatrical screenings.
A study guide and suggested curriculum can be provided upon request.
You can order Broken Trust via our educational distributor, the Media Education Foundation. You can choose from a wide variety of rental and purchase options: 1-week, 1-year, and 3-year streaming licenses and/or a physical DVD.
"Jill Yesko brings impeccable credentials to her exposé of the ethical crises that continue to afflict the world of modern sports."
— John Hoberman, Professor of Germanic Studies, University of Texas at Austin
"Broken Trust is a hard-to-watch, must-watch for sports journalists and all human beings who care about the health and well-being of young athletes. This film lets predatory coaches know their game is over."
— Nicholas McBride, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Massachusetts Amherst
"Hearing the resilient voices of sexual abuse survivors from the sports world is a profound experience. This is an excellent film for instruction on grooming strategies used by sexual predators, and the sports institutions that have colluded to minimize these sex crimes. Must be seen."
— Ramona Alaggia, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
"I would recommend that anyone who is involved in sport or similar youth activities watches this documentary...As they say so powerfully: safeguarding should be taken as seriously as anti-doping in sport."
— Child Protection in Sport Unit, NSPCC, United Kingdom
Link to NPR interview: "On Guard Against Abuse"
Link to DoubleGSports.com article on Broken Trust
Link to interview with Elizabeth Atkins
ABOUT JILL
Filmmaker and journalist Jill Yesko is a former cyclist who represented the United States in the 1983 World University Games and competed in the Olympic Trials.
Jill’s films include Tainted Blood: The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympic Blood Doping Scandal (available on Amazon) and Broken Trust: Athlete Abuse Exposed.
Jill's writing has appeared in Women's Sports & Fitness, Shape, Fitness Swimmer, and numerous other magazines. She is the author of two acclaimed crime fiction novels and has been profiled in O, the Oprah magazine.
Jill is a Fellow at the Center for Sports Communication & Media, Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas.
CONTACT
Resources For Sexual Abuse Survivors, their Friends and Families and Athletes
Tip Sheet: Talking to Children and Teens About Sexual Abuse
www.stopitnow.org
Start By Believing - The Global Campaign Transforming The Way We Respond To Sexual Assault
www.startbybelieving.org
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
www.nsvrc.org
1-877-739-3892
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE
RAINN National Sexual Assault Online Hotline
U.S. Center for SafeSport
www.safesport.org
U.S. Center for SafeSport Parent Toolkit
resources.safesport.org
STAYING IN BOUNDS An NCAA Model Policy to Prevent Inappropriate Relationships Student-Athletes and Athletics Department Personnel
www.ncaa.org
Books About Athletes and Sexual Abuse
The Girls:
An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down
By Abigail Pesta
www.sealpress.com/titles/abigail-pesta/the-girls
What Is a Girl Worth?
My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth About Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics
By: Rachael Denhollander
Chalked Up:
My Life in Elite Gymnastics
By Jennifer Sey
Documentaries and Further Viewing
Athlete A
(Netflix)
At the Heart of Gold
(HBO)
Start by Believing