Callaghan suspended over sexual abuse allegations

[Tinami Amori]

I know we are sifting through the fine definitions of legality here, but really I don't think it's in doubt that that kind of behaviour with students makes a coach a very poor role model and is hardly going to make a coach a respected character and beloved figure in the skating community.

To respect or not is one's choice. i object only to making it a law.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

I can't imagine why anyone at USFS would think this was a smart move.

I wish the report had stated who at USFS tried to dissuade him from doing the interview, because generally referring to the federation isn't very helpful or informative. The USFS written media responses for this case as well as the recent skater lawsuit in the DJ Vincent case are completely tone deaf. Both completely lack any remark of empathy or understanding for victims (who are also members!) who have reported and/or experienced abuse. There are ways to express this even if they want to deny liability.

One particular area of concern in the two DJ Vincent lawsuits is the allegation that USFS was originally notified of the coach by rink management in 2011 but the issue (a formal grievance? - it doesn't specify) was closed, which resulted in a lack of action until 2013. If there is even the slightest chance something like this actually happened, I hope they will admit the mistake, make amends & ensure a process is put in place to close the loophole.

The gymnastics scandal & associated backlash have been in the news everyday for months yet USFS is handling their press releases like they've never heard of it. How they proceed forward with these two cases & their processes (sunshine or shadow?) will tell the tale whether there is truly interest in making serious improvements or just more lip service.

 

[jenniferlyon]

Todd may very well be a victim. I would hate to see him victimized again in the media. If they are able to proceed without him, I don’t see the sense of dragging him through it again.

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I feel protective of Todd. As someone who has written a novel about this very subject (except my fictional coach targets girls rather than boys), it is easy for me to imagine what Todd might have been through and how it affected him psychologically. Even if Callaghan didn't sexually abuse Todd, I can imagine him being manipulated or threatened into keeping quiet. Or basically just being messed up from spending all those years in a toxic, abusive environment.

However, at the same time Todd is an adult. While I wouldn't expect him to protect a victim who is older than himself, I would expect him to intervene on behalf of someone much younger, especially if they're underage and definitely if Todd's own students were among the victims. He can't play the "I didn't know this was happening" card. Craig went public almost twenty years ago and we know there were other victims.

 

[Inessence]

It's a bit depressing to be picking through the precise legalities of things. One would expect top coaches to seek strong respect and control and honestly fooling around with your students is a fast way to undermine your own reputation.

It's done Morozov no good at all. He's now basically in the Siberia of the skating world training only a few skaters who had limited alternative options.

Yet people wonder why many victims do not speak up sooner.

USFS should be very hopeful there are no new victims over the last 19 years.

 

[Japanfan]

And he is quite handsome even for his age...

Not in my eyes.

... and when he travels or works abroad, his 19 year old wife Vasilisa who is college now, sends him sexy fotos every day.. and he replies "I miss you honey, hope you're flying over to see me soon".
https://www.instagram.com/vdavankova/

Probably a requirement for being in a relationship with the oily one. If a woman isn't into sending him sexy pictures, she probably would never become his wife.

 

[2sk8]

Figure skating may not have a
'Nassar' type figure (please God), but the culture within the sport is potentially more damaging than gymnastics and more likely to facilitate abuse. The fact that someone like Morozov has, so openly, been allowed to have sexual relations with his teenage students and even marry one without recourse is telling in itself. ...

I firmly believe that junior skaters should be protected more. Age limits are not enough, content should also be restricted. Allowing quads, before puberty, is inviting long term physical damage. It's facilitating this 'win at all costs' training method and makes it incredibly challenging for senior athletes to stay in the game. It's wrong.

...all while coaching at the rink where Maurizi is the figure skating director...go figure

 

[Vagabond]

Entire post

If Todd Eldredge says he didn't know anything at the time, it isn't our place to doubt him unless we have any good, solid information to the contrary. As far as I know, there isn't any. Although Craig Maurizi's original complaint to the USFSA did include statements from other victims and witnesses, I have never seen any indication that Eldredge was one of them or that Maurizi has ever said that Eldredge was one of them.

 

[Willin]

I'm waiting to judge Todd's actions until we know more. Just because someone's a sexual predator doesn't mean that they will go for anything that fits what they like and moves. Yes, there likely were other victims, but that doesn't mean he's a Nassar type that will assault everything he has a chance to assault.

It may also be that Todd knew. With all the rumors it certainly sounds like he must have at least known the rumors. But this may be like Nassar - everyone knew the reputation or a victim, but he was so respected that many refused to see the truth. Not that it excuses the lack of reporting or doing anything if he had evidence or personal testimony, but if he'd only heard the information in the form of "rumors" he would dismiss them as hearsay because "the man he knew so well wouldn't do that."

So I'd like to know more about what Todd knew before saying he's bad person or shouldn't be coaching.

Not in my eyes.
Probably a requirement for being in a relationship with the oily one. If a woman isn't into sending him sexy pictures, she probably would never become his wife.

How is it that Tinami finds this not creepy at all. I find this creepy in relationships of appropriate age/power differentials... If you need overly mushy language and constant nudes to keep your relationship together, maybe it's not a healthy relationship based off of mutual respect... Especially with that age gap!

 

[Tinami Amori]

Not in my eyes.

your eyes, and my eyes, fortunately, are not guidelines for laws...

Probably a requirement for being in a relationship with the oily one. If a woman isn't into sending him sexy pictures, she probably would never become his wife.

So, is not it great that these two people, on the same "wave", found each other and are happy?

 

[skatfan]

the Skating Lesson weighs in:

Morozov and Callahan are the tip of the iceberg. Abuse often takes several forms in the same person. To think nothing has been happening in skating regarding sexual abuse/power relationships is absurd. The USFSA had better consider lawyering up.

 

[DreamSkates]

It's a bit depressing to be picking through the precise legalities of things. One would expect top coaches to seek strong respect and control and honestly fooling around with your students is a fast way to undermine your own reputation.

It's done Morozov no good at all. He's now basically in the Siberia of the skating world training only a few skaters who had limited alternative options.

Sometimes people at the top or in a powerful position take advantage of opportunities to do things that are not ethical. They may have a false feeling of being able to hide the actions, or no one is accusing them so they feel they can continue without consequences.
It's like a 4 year old who has figure out how to climb on the kitchen counter when no one is looking and take a cookie from the cookie jar and not get caught. Likely to do it again and again.

 

[DreamSkates]

Damn that interview was painful to watch.
Kudos to him for going public with this again in order to force this issue into daylight, even though talking about it in front of TV cameras is clearly a very difficult and mortifying thing for him.

Absolutely agree with your every word! As he said he feels obligated, and if he doesn't speak out, who will? How many are now being abused? This will force USFSA to take action and change their policies. This isn't 1999 any more.

 

[Willin]

I do applaud USFSA for adopting Safesport earlier than a lot of other youth sports organizations and for banning some sexual predators, but it's obvious that there's a lot to do. That 60 day rule was disgusting.

That being said, USFSA is so behind the times on a lot of things that I am frankly shocked they instituted Safesport or banned anyone. They are also a very insular organization that only cares about coaches who are very politically connected within the organization, so I wouldn't doubt that there are some well connected coaches who have gotten away with this for a long time. While USFSA has banned famous coaches for sexual abuse, I'd bet those coaches had fallen out of favor or were basically retired, making them acceptable targets.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I'm waiting to judge Todd's actions until we know more. Just because someone's a sexual predator doesn't mean that they will go for anything that fits what they like and moves. Yes, there likely were other victims, but that doesn't mean he's a Nassar type that will assault everything he has a chance to assault.

One thing I learned from my research is there is ALWAYS more than one victim. Beyond that, it depends. Nassar's position gave him access to a larger pool of potential victims compared to a typical elite-level skating coach. Many of these guys prefer their victims to be a certain age, or at a certain stage of physical development. They generally don't go after random kids. They're not the stereotypical creepy clown in the van at the park with the proverbial bag of candy. There's usually a grooming process where the abuser forms a relationship with the victim, earns his/her trust, and slowly erodes the normal boundaries. Sometimes they also form a relationship with the victim's parent(s). For example, I read about more than one pedophile priest who would target boys from single parent homes where the mother was desperate to find a male role model for her troubled son. Generally speaking, abusers look for situations where they are unlikely to get caught. Or, if the kid does tell, no one is likely to believe him/her.

 

[Vagabond]

Entire post

None of which is to say that Todd Eldredge was a victim or witness.

All the insinuations I have read about Todd Eldredge here on FSU are their own kind of abuse and might be amplifying the problem if Eldredge was himself one of the victims.

 

[Willin]

@jenniferlyon I think my point is that there's literally nothing to say that Todd was a victim or a witness. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't.

Yes, predators have a type, and yes they do go through a grooming process, but that doesn't mean they'll assault every person that is their "type." Yes, Callaghan's "type" may have been young male skaters he coached, but that doesn't mean he assaulted every young male skater he coached. As you said in your priest analogy, those priests run into many altar boys but only select the most vulnerable to assault. Callaghan may be the same way, and he may or may not have chosen Todd as a victim. Either way it's unfair to Todd to say he had any part in this when there's no evidence he did.

 

[overedge]

the Skating Lesson weighs in:

Morozov and Callahan are the tip of the iceberg. Abuse often takes several forms in the same person. To think nothing has been happening in skating regarding sexual abuse/power relationships is absurd. The USFSA had better consider lawyering up.

Not directed at you, @skatfan, but....no sh*t, Sherlock. You don't have to be a USFS insider to figure that one out.

 

[Vagabond]

And it isn't as if Richard Callaghan is the only high-profile U.S. coach who has ever been accused of sexual misconduct his skaters. Gordon McKellen, a former three-time National Champion, was banned for life from U.S. Figure Skating back in 1998 because of similar allegations.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Christine Brennan's latest column has new comments by Maurizi.

*** Latest sex abuse scandal shows USOC has much work to do :
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...candal-shows-usoc-has-much-work-do/426170002/

“I’m the director of a major figure skating training center that has hundreds to thousands of young skaters coming through the door every day, and I could, if I wanted to, hire this man today,” Maurizi, 55, director of figure skating for the Ice House in Hackensack, N.J., said in a phone interview Wednesday.

“Of course there’s no way I’d do that, but if I or any other rink wanted to do it, there would be nothing that USFS or SafeSport could say about it, and that’s disturbing. That really bothers me. That’s way, way wrong.”

 

[Willin]

@Artistic Skaters I think this is a huge problem. USFSA doesn't control who rinks hire - rinks do.

Rinks hire skating coaches based on reputation and who you know. I know quite a few people who have applied to coaching or other rink jobs that weren't able to get them because they didn't grow up at that rink. In LA, even if you know the right people there's so many talented coaches and former skaters that the rinks choose coaches purely on talent and experience. If you know the right people (ie. the skating director) or are famous enough, you'll get hired no questions asked. Especially if you're a well known coach or a former top skater I couldn't see you not getting a job at some rink. If they hire a rumored predator, there's always the argument that he was never prosecuted so it wouldn't show up on the background check. If the person had been prosecuted it would no longer be a "rumor" and I think USFSA would've banned them. That's not to say all rinks care about USFSA bans or even know they exist, but I doubt they'd hire a convicted predator - rinks are very concerned about liability.

All the rinks I've been to somehow care even less about the staff that doesn't interact with the kiddos. A lot of them are hockey players (current/former) or family members of other staff. Unlike for coaches skill or connections don't matter much. I've seen alcoholic managers, people high at work, people not getting fired for missing literal hours of week, etc. at pretty much every rink I've ever skated at. As long as you get the work done they don't care. The worst I've seen was a dude who was both drunk and high (this was 10pm on Halloween so all the other employees had left to party elsewhere) say he was safe to zamboni the ice sheet for us. We insisted he was too drunk to do so and reported him to management because he did it anyways. The next couple of weeks he didn't zamboni the ice for us - because he knew we didn't want him to drive the zamboni drunk.

 

[skatfan]

Not directed at you, @skatfan, but....no sh*t, Sherlock. You don't have to be a USFS insider to figure that one out.

No offense taken.

 

[Coco]

I seem to recall Tara Lipinski supporting Craig Mairitzi back around the time of the initial allegations. I always wondered how this impacted her relationship with USFSA and, by extension, Stars on Ice.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

There are wide variations in rink management across the U.S., particularly depending on whether they are privately or municipally owned & operated (just like for gymnastics, swimming & numerous other sports), so generalizations about rink hiring & Zamboni drunk driving aren't going to be the most productive way to work the problem at this point.

My take on the Brennan article is that SafeSport & USFS grievance policies are two processes currently available (both needing continuous improvements), but a myriad of other resources will need to come into play to address the problem effectively. I can see a need for better resources (both public & private) that might include some things like new state and/or federal laws, better parent education & notification, improvements with communications & standardized notification practices between organizations (ex: sports federations & universities) as well as law enforcement.

 

[Willin]

@Artistic Skaters I'm not trying to generalize, just saying that I'm sure there are plenty of rinks that wouldn't do background checks on their coaches, and really all that's needed is one rink willing or capable of hiring a known predator.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

All the rinks I've been to somehow care even less about the staff that doesn't interact with the kiddos. A lot of them are hockey players (current/former) or family members of other staff. Unlike for coaches skill or connections don't matter much. I've seen alcoholic managers, people high at work, people not getting fired for missing literal hours of week, etc. at pretty much every rink I've ever skated at. As long as you get the work done they don't care. The worst I've seen was a dude who was both drunk and high (this was 10pm on Halloween so all the other employees had left to party elsewhere) say he was safe to zamboni the ice sheet for us. We insisted he was too drunk to do so and reported him to management because he did it anyways. The next couple of weeks he didn't zamboni the ice for us - because he knew we didn't want him to drive the zamboni drunk.[/QUOTE]

From talking to people at rinks around here, one of their problems is attracting and retaining competent staff. They say there are two issues: 1) the pay at the rink is WAY too low versus other jobs the same person could get, and 2) the rinks often offer crap or expensive benefits, if any at all.


[QUOTE="Willin, post: 5328437, member: 57704"][USER=1164]@Artistic Skaters I'm not trying to generalize, just saying that I'm sure there are plenty of rinks that wouldn't do background checks on their coaches, and really all that's needed is one rink willing or capable of hiring a known predator.

All USFS rinks require that all coaches, including Learn to Skate, have gone through the USFS background check system, and also get a specific type of insurance. It's done through the USFS website. All of the rinks I have experience with require all coaches to submit specific paperwork related to this from USFS before they can coach. The rinks don't pay for the background checks or conduct them - the coach pays for the background check, and the check itself is done by some outside group that USFS has contracted with.

I don't know how it works at ISI rinks. I also don't know how it works for hockey-only rinks that aren't also USFS.

 

[Frau Muller]

Cross-posting from the TV alerts thread: Craig Maurizi will be Martha MacCallum’s guest during the 7-8pm EST hour of Fox News tonight (3/15) aka “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” The figure skating scandals/allegations will be the main topic of the news hour, as per ads running on Fox this morning.

 

[overedge]

If Fox News is covering the Callaghan story then Robert Mueller must be doing something really important "No! Don't look there! Look over here!"

 

[LarrySK8]

Maurizi is seeking vengeance.

He supposedly had sexual contact with Callahan from ages 15 - 18, but the 'full sexual' relationship after the age of 18. He supposedly carried it on 'sporadically' for 12 years after the age of 22, according to him. Maybe they were using each other? Sounds like a bad gay relationship to me.

Sounds fishy on both sides.

 

[Willin]

@LarrySK8 Really? Really? You're going to victim blame an obvious victim? What do you say to all the other victims coming forward? To the power-differential argument?

All USFS rinks require that all coaches, including Learn to Skate, have gone through the USFS background check system, and also get a specific type of insurance. It's done through the USFS website. All of the rinks I have experience with require all coaches to submit specific paperwork related to this from USFS before they can coach. The rinks don't pay for the background checks or conduct them - the coach pays for the background check, and the check itself is done by some outside group that USFS has contracted with.

I don't know how it works at ISI rinks. I also don't know how it works for hockey-only rinks that aren't also USFS.

In the midwest and east coast USFSA rinks are more common, but on the West Coast (where I am), most rinks - even those that only have USFSA competing skaters - tend to use their own system. My rink requires PSA paperwork/liability/background check submitted for all private coaches; another allows most coaches to pay $50/day and coach on a freestyle (though through that system they won't teach group lessons). My rinks at college (one USFSA; one University run) allowed whoever to coach that wanted to as long as the coach/student bought private ice to do it on. Perhaps that system is more stringently followed where you are, but from my experience there are many ways around it.

It should also be noted that if this is a situation like Callaghan - someone who hasn't been arrested or convicted for the crime, they'll pass the background check even if they are a predator. Admittedly, in this day and age the coach could be googled for the news articles, but few coaches with those rumors will have a news article about them for the rink to find. Even then, there may be whisperings - but the coach can just move to a rink that isn't in the loop for whatever reason. You'd be surprised how easy that may be.

 

[Rafter]

Video (4 mins.): http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/vide...ing-sexual-abuse-allegations-olympic-53699708

Oh my. This is heartbreaking.

As for Callaghan, where there’s smoke there’s fire. Too many stories over too many years for it not to be true.