USA Gymnastics Accused of Enabling Predators By Ignoring Abuse Allegations
LatestIn 2013, a lawsuit was filed against USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for U.S. gymnastics that is responsible for selecting teams for the Olympics and World Championships. The lawsuit accused the organization of neglecting to adequately report the abuse allegations coming from its gyms, leading to the continued sexual abuse by coaches on young gymnasts.
The IndyStar’s comprehensive investigation makes a great case for how USA Gymnastics internal rules on allegations conflict with most state rules for obligatory reporting of suspected child abuse. USA Gymnastics has had a policy in place since the ‘90s that all complaints against coaches would be dismissed as “hearsay” unless they were signed by a victim or a victim’s parent. IndyStar found four coaches who were suspected of abuse, but never reported to authorities by USA Gymnastics. They went on to abuse at least 14 other gymnasts, and were eventually convicted for their crimes.
A coach who is currently serving 30 years in prison for child abuse, William McCabe, was suspected of abusing girls as early as 1996. He was fired from Gymnastic World in Cape Coral, Florida and then hired by USA Gymnastics at a gym in Tallahassee. Gymnastic World’s owner Daniel Hickey heard about the hire and wrote a letter to USA Gymnastics, explaining that he believed McCabe was unfit to work with children. Hickey admitted in the case against McCabe that he fired the coach after hearing him brag about getting a 15-year-old in her underwear and that he would “f—- her very soon.”
“To allow this scum bag to continue working within the gymnastic community would be a terrible insult to all of the gym owners and coaches who have worked so hard to build up the reputation of gymnastics,” Dickey wrote in his letter to USA Gymnastics.
USA Gymnastics sent Dickey a short letter four days later, saying it was “awaiting an official letter of complaint from a parent and athlete. I will add your letter to the file in the event we receive the letter and an investigation is commenced.”
MCabe resigned from the Tallahassee gym, but continued coaching. That gym’s owner, Jan Giunipero, also contacted USA Gymnastics, as early as October 1998: