Ashley Wagner reveals she was assaulted by John Coughlin

[CaliSteve]

Not to sound cynical, although I know I will, if USFS wants a "quick win" to show their commitment to a safe skating environment, they could suspend Skater Alexey's coaching credentials. The post about "me and my latest victim" is reason enough.

He lives in the UK and Russia.

 

[Tavi]

The USFSA thinks by not mentioning it and "laying low" that it will blow away. To a degree, they are right. Because at the end of the day, skating events will come up and we all turn our energy towards those events. We complain and make rants on social media but thats it. The USFSA needs to be held accountable and the only way to do that is by getting them in their pocket books. Need to start boycotting their events and their sponsors. At this point its about light a fire under their asses.

I think in the case of gymnastics, USAG felt pressured to make changes both because of civil lawsuits filed against them and because the media kept publishing stuff and pushing for outside investigation into the culture of abuse. I do think the loss of sponsors was also an issue but I’m not sure it resulted from a boycott by fans.

 

[Lanie]

I really did suspect Dalilah pressured and strong-armed all of her skaters to wear those hats. Some probably gladly wore them while others were apprehensive.

I'm still appalled USFSA hasn't done anything about Dalilah's behavior (not to mention the fact USFSA seems happy to sweep this under the rug, even now).

 

[mollymgr]

In retrospect, the problem with the lack of transparency in skating culture is huge and quite obvious. With the John Coughlin issue aside, something as crazy as wearing hats also points to the ongoing problem. If skaters don't feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions or do what they feel is right (even about trivial things), how can you even get to the point of asking them to feel comfortable about reporting something like abuse? The ripple effect of ones actions can be huge given how tight knit the whole skating world is and most are probably going through their career on eggshells.

 

[CaliSteve]

I'm still appalled USFSA hasn't done anything about Dalilah's behavior (not to mention the fact USFSA seems happy to sweep this under the rug, even now).

I am too, but part of the problem is that the USFSA is so incestuous, especially those based in Colorado Springs. There are so many Athlete and Coaching representatives on the board of USFSA. At one point JC was on the board.

 

[Frau Muller]

I'm still appalled USFSA hasn't done anything about Dalilah's behavior (not to mention the fact USFSA seems happy to sweep this under the rug, even now).

Maybe she'll be at Champs Camp - California edition and have something to say (or not, if she has nothing pro-victims to say). Cat seems to have bitten her tongue.

 

[VGThuy]

I'm still appalled USFSA hasn't done anything about Dalilah's behavior (not to mention the fact USFSA seems happy to sweep this under the rug, even now).

I bet a lot of people in USFS supported her. I still remember the horrendous Professional Skaters' Association (for coaches) post around Nationals basically stating their full support for Coughlin and Dalilah.

 

[CaliSteve]

I bet a lot of people in USFS supported her. I still remember the horrendous Professional Skaters' Association (for coaches) post around Nationals basically stating their full support for Coughlin and Dalilah.

That was disgusting. What she did was fuel the fire and pissed off people and that was effed up!

 

[BittyBug]

I am too, but part of the problem is that the USFSA is so incestuous, especially those based in Colorado Springs. There are so many Athlete and Coaching representatives on the board of USFSA. At one point JC was on the board.

To be fair, athlete representation is mandated by the Ted Stevens Act. And yes, the sport is incestuous, but that is in part a consequence of its structure. Athletes become coaches, technical specialists, and judges, and so remain in the sport. And most of the volunteers on committees and the board were either skaters themselves or parents of skaters, because who else would volunteer their time except someone who had some type of personal investment in the sport?

I don't think familiarity is necessarily a problem, it's power - a lust for acquiring it, fear of losing it, and fear of having it used against you. No one wants to rock the boat because they don't want any backlash that could impact their access.

 

[UGG]

To me, passing out the hats just looked like an attempt to intimidate victims more so than a show of support. Like...”look who supports him. Look what you are up against.”

I wish I could have seen Sappenfield’s face when she found out Ashley came forward as a survivor of JC’s sexual abuse.

 

[CaliSteve]

To be fair, athlete representation is mandated by the Ted Stevens Act. And yes, the sport is incestuous, but that is in part a consequence of its structure. Athletes become coaches, technical specialists, and judges, and so remain in the sport. And most of the volunteers on committees and the board were either skaters themselves or parents of skaters, because who else would volunteer their time except someone who had some type of personal investment in the sport?

I don't think familiarity is necessarily a problem, it's power - a lust for acquiring it, fear of losing it, and fear of having it used against you. No one wants to rock the boat because they don't want any backlash that could impact their access.

I believe representation is a good thing. However, they can take steps to avoid conflict. Many organizations retain outside consulting and legal services to create and implement policies and procedures to avoid conflict of interests.

I think its rocking the boat and not pissing people off that is one of the main roots of the problem.

 

[Willin]

I would love to see this turned into a piece of investigative journalism. Particularly with the Sappenfiled stuff and how USFS is acting. I think if it was written in a compelling enough manner that it blows up, USFS would have no choice but to do something. I wonder if there's any journalists wanting to take up the story...

 

[believed]

I would love to see this turned into a piece of investigative journalism. Particularly with the Sappenfiled stuff and how USFS is acting. I think if it was written in a compelling enough manner that it blows up, USFS would have no choice but to do something. I wonder if there's any journalists wanting to take up the story...

IndyStar got the ball rolling on Nassar.

 

[Lacey]

Calling all journalists...don't we know one who is accessible to the sport and previously published...

 

[Tavi]

Calling all journalists...don't we know one who is accessible to the sport and previously published...

Christine Brennan has already published a number of articles. For those of you who can abide them, the Skating Lesson has also addressed the issue several times, including in their most recent video. I would guess both of them would be receptive to tips.

 

[operagirl]

See below...

 

[operagirl]

So..Ashley gets it off her chest when John cannot refute her story. I do not call that brave. By not reporting it....she left John free to go do it to someone else. I find that cowardly and self serving.. Kind of like the big named stars who leftvWeinstein free to prey on others.

According to The Skating Lesson, Ashley went to the USFSA in February about this.

 

[Willin]

The thing with Christine Brennan is who she writes for. Not that USA Today isn't a big paper - it is - and it does some good reporting, but ESPN has a wider reach in the sports world, the AP has a wider reach overall as many papers and newsources online license their articles (including ESPN), The New York Times/Washington Post are widely circulated with a reputation for journalism, and local papers like the one that broke the Nassar story can produce great content through their intrepid journalists. USA Today isn't exactly known for it's investigative journalism... On the other hand, I think Christine Brennan could work with investigative reporters at another publication to create a great piece. The Indy Star article on USAG had something like three authors working on it.

 

[mackiecat]

And the initial complaint was in 2017!

 

[VGThuy]

What the Indy Star did in investigating the entire USAG Nassar scandal was excellent journalism and a full-time commitment that did not let up for over a year. The substantive writing, investigation, and research that was involved was above Brennan and Dave Lease's skill level. Both Brennan and TSL don't have the credibility for reasons we all know, so other investigative journalists need to pick it up. I think the Indy Star was the perfect paper since USAG was headquartered there.

 

[Tavi]

The thing with Christine Brennan is who she writes for. Not that USA Today isn't a big paper - it is - and it does some good reporting, but ESPN has a wider reach in the sports world, the AP has a wider reach overall as many papers and newsources online license their articles (including ESPN), The New York Times/Washington Post are widely circulated with a reputation for journalism, and local papers like the one that broke the Nassar story can produce great content through their intrepid journalists. USA Today isn't exactly known for it's investigative journalism... On the other hand, I think Christine Brennan could work with investigative reporters at another publication to create a great piece. The Indy Star article on USAG had something like three authors working on it.

I think it’s a matter of getting the ball rolling rather than trying to find the perfect paper or writer. Whatever you think of Brennan, she has been writing stories on this since early this year, and the NYT and Washington Post picked the most recent stories up.

Since USFS is based in the Springs, another paper that might be interested is the Colorado Sun, which is a relatively new paper specializing in investigative reporting.

About Us

Learn more about The Colorado Sun, a journalist-founded, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado.

coloradosun.com

 

[Debbie S]

I'm not a huge fan of Brennan, but given that she's written 2 books, I think her writing, investigative and research skills are there. Same with Phil Hersh. But they also write about other sports (Phil for multiple outlets), so they would need to have the time and would probably need support from other writers. But for all we know, either of them might be working on something as we speak.

 

[VGThuy]

I honestly came to that conclusion about Brennan lacking the proper skill set in writing, investigation, and research for a serious piece like this that really needs more care and consideration of the facts after reading her two books, but she may surprise me. Or she may not.

 

[canbelto]

I agree that a really good investigative journalist needs to get on this and Brennan doesn’t have the skills in her toolbox. But really this also has to come from women feeling safe in coming forward. Ashley Wagner was one person. Bridget another. You just know that there are more. If any of these skaters are reading this thread (I know many skaters do read message boards) I hope they see not just the vile comments but the support.

 

[overedge]

It doesn't have to be a newspaper. There are news websites like ProPublica that do investigate reporting.

ETA: I think Brennan is a columnist for USAToday, not a staff reporter, which might mean that she wouldn't have access to the resources to support a long-term investigation.

There is also the new(ish) website The Athletic, which seems to have some $$$ behind it because it has been hiring full-time writers from a lot of other sports media outlets (newspapers, ESPN, etc.) https://theathletic.com/

 

[aftershocks]

To me, passing out the hats just looked like an attempt to intimidate victims more so than a show of support. Like...”look who supports him. Look what you are up against.”

Again, you are engaging in scorecard-keeping and punching back vindictively at what you perceive as vindictiveness by Sappenfield (her words and actions were most likely mainly motivated by grief and anguish). Sadly, you are only adding to the anger, grief, trauma, and confusion that everyone involved are suffering. Where and when does the overheated anger, anguish, sensationalizing, grandstanding and fingerpointing stop? Where and when does the healing begin?

I wish I could have seen Sappenfield’s face when she found out Ashley came forward as a survivor of JC’s sexual abuse.

Why? What would that possibly do for you? How would that help to solve anything? With this vengeful comment, your reactions are no better than what you have been accusing Sappenfield of.

 

[AxelAnnie]

According to The Skating Lesson, Ashley went to the USFSA in February about this.

It is a horrible situation...all the way around. John Coughlin killed himself in January 18, 2019. She did report after John had killed himself, and thus had no ability to refute the allegations.

 

[VGThuy]

It is a horrible situation...all the way around. John Coughlin killed himself in January 18, 2019. She did report after John had killed himself, and thus had no ability to refute the allegations.

Well, that's not her fault, is it?

 

[canbelto]

Well, that's not her fault, is it?

According to AxelAnnie it's ALWAYS the victim's fault. That's her thing.

 

[Japanfan]

Well, that's not her fault, is it?

No, and I've stated earlier in this thread or another - she was prompted to report when Liu won Nationals because it struck home than such a young girl/teen could become a victim to sexual assault.

She could not come forward until she felt ready, and is to be commended for coming forward at all. Especially given her concerns that might be seen as a person who makes trouble - which is probably not at all unlikely given that the FS community is very close-knit.