Callaghan suspended over sexual abuse allegations

nimi

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In case somebody is confused: The article Tony Wheeler posted is about a "new" complainant coming forward about Callaghan, whereas the article Theoreticalgirl quoted is about Maurizi saying that Raith "implored him not to speak to the media, Maurizi said, at least until after SafeSport completed its investigation" and that he was then offered "a “position of prominence” within the organization, he said, and the implication was clear, at least to him."

 
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GarrAargHrumph

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The ABC video report on the new allegation against Callahan is here:

Adam Schmidt (Baadani), the plaintiff in the suit, speaks in his own words in this video. Phil Hersch is also interviewed. There is discussion of what happened with Craig Maurizi, and shows a 1999 interview with Craig, plus a current interview.
 

Debbie S

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In case somebody is confused: The article Tony Wheeler posted is about a "new" complainant coming forward about Callaghan, whereas the article Theoreticalgirl quoted is about Maurizi saying that Raith "implored him not to speak to the media, Maurizi said, at least until after SafeSport completed its investigation" and that he was then offered "a “position of prominence” within the organization, he said, and the implication was clear, at least to him."

Yes, I was confused, thanks for clearing that up. I initially read the article Tony posted on my phone so didn't see the other.

What I find almost as troubling as the allegations against Callaghan and the way USFS handled Maurizi's and others' complaints, is the fact that as an abuse survivor and skating director of the Ice House in Hackensack, Maurizi allowed Morozov to coach there, plus Andrew Lavrik, who is now banned (although I suppose Maurizi could have legitimately not known what was happening), and his wife bashed those who filed complaints against Coughlin.

As the saying goes, be the change you wish to see....
 

2sk8

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Yes, I was confused, thanks for clearing that up. I initially read the article Tony posted on my phone so didn't see the other.

What I find almost as troubling as the allegations against Callaghan and the way USFS handled Maurizi's and others' complaints, is the fact that as an abuse survivor and skating director of the Ice House in Hackensack, Maurizi allowed Morozov to coach there, plus Andrew Lavrik, who is now banned (although I suppose Maurizi could have legitimately not known what was happening), and his wife bashed those who filed complaints against Coughlin.

As the saying goes, be the change you wish to see....

I think the same video is attached to 2 related articles - the video is more detailed than the articles.
 

Debbie S

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CBS News just ran the story. Interviews with Schmidt's lawyer and Maurizi. Nothing new that wasn't mentioned in the article. USFS statement is that they don't comment on pending litigation (standard comment) but support sexual abuse victims. Maurizi was asked if USFS had deaf ears, he said he thinks their ears were "wide open" but they tried to push allegations under the rug.

Maybe national news attention will actually spur USFS to make changes, but it sure took a long time (and still ongoing) with USA Gym.

And as a Todd fan, I'll just add this inconsequential note: of all the pics of Callaghan as a coach that CBS could have chosen as the thumbnail image to lead into their story, whyyyyyy did they have to pick the one of him and Todd in the K&C in Nagano? :wuzrobbed🙈
 

Artistic Skaters

Drawing Figures
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From the ABC article:
“U.S. Figure Skating supports all victims of sexual abuse and encourages those who have been abused or suspect abuse to report it to local law enforcement, the U.S. Center for SafeSport and U.S. Figure Skating,” the statement reads. “U.S. Figure Skating has no record of receiving a report regarding the allegations brought forth to you by Mr. Schmidt. No allegations against Mr. Callaghan were reported prior to 1999. U.S. Figure Skating records reflect that Mr. Maurizi remains the only person to have reported allegations against Richard Callaghan to U.S. Figure Skating.”
:rolleyes: Because they took these cases so very seriously back then and wanted to make sure they sent a letter to the complainants to let them know. Had Mr. Schmidt reported the abuse, he would have gotten his letter denying the grievance for being over 60 days old just like the others.
 

mackiecat

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@Artistic Skaters . I think you might be misreading the article. the complainant states that if USFS had taken action in 1999 ( Craig Maurizi), the coach would have not been able to sexually abuse him (Schmidt) from 1999 to 2001. Instead it was dismissed and swept under a rug leaving Callaghan free to find a new victim
 

overedge

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From the ABC article:

:rolleyes: Because they took these cases so very seriously back then and wanted to make sure they sent a letter to the complainants to let them know. Had Mr. Schmidt reported the abuse, he would have gotten his letter denying the grievance for being over 60 days old just like the others.

Yeah, the last part of that USFS statement is 💩
Just because they don't have records of any other complaints doesn't mean that there weren't inappropriate things going on
And seriously, after the way Maurizi's complaint got blown off, it's not too surprising that other complaints weren't filed - since USFS sure didn’t seem to care about doing anything.
 

Artistic Skaters

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@Artistic Skaters . I think you might be misreading the article. the complainant states that if USFS had taken action in 1999 ( Craig Maurizi), the coach would have not been able to sexually abuse him (Schmidt) from 1999 to 2001. Instead it was dismissed and swept under a rug leaving Callaghan free to find a new victim
Reread the statement I quoted by USFS that I underlined. I don't believe I misread and am aware of the content of the article. My point was that they dismissed cases looking for technicalities such as the complainant filing it past the 60 day deadline during that time. Now they want to rewrite history and make it appear like they would have taken it oh so seriously if ONLY the young man had just filed that grievance.

I disagree with this assessment of how seriously these complaints were taken twenty years ago. Not accepting liability and minimizing bad publicity were big priorities, not supporting and assisting victims. Well positioned coaches, not skaters, were protected back then.
 
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twizzletoes76

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The extended ABC report featuring Adam Schmidt was heartbreaking to watch. The dead look in his eyes, gave me a little insight into how Callahan potentially robbed him of his soul.

That was exactly my reaction. It was classic predatorial behavior on Callahan’s part. You can just see how fragile Schmidt must have been as a child/teen. We all know the feeling in skating of idolizing or looking up to certain skaters or coaches and Callahan totally preyed on Schmidt’s naivity and desire to be a good student. I only hope Schmidt can find a way to heal from his experiences and realizes that he didn’t do anything wrong but was just taken advantage of by someone who was apparently well-practiced in manipulating and abusing students.

I also wonder if there were people at the Detroit rinks who knew about Callahan’s behavior but did not speak up. Wasn’t he married? If I’m not mistaken, didn’t his wife originally coach Meryl D. before she started ice dance? How could the wife have not heard rumors when there were even rumors posted HERE years ago? I don’t think it was just the USFSA that turned a blind eye to the case when it happened—there had to have been other coaches and professionals at the time who knew stuff but did not speak up only because they assumed such predatorial behavior was part of an “unspoken culture” that back in the day no one discussed.
 

canbelto

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I think it's very much in the skating culture for families to think that in order for their kids to get the best training, sacrifices have to be made. This means sending the skater halfway around the world to train in a different country, using up the family resources to pay for the expenses of skating, getting into rink wars with other parents, etc. With that mindset it's not a stretch to think that another "sacrifice" is not asking too many questions when training practices set off red flags or abuse is suspected.
 

Vagabond

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I only hope Schmidt can find a way to heal from his experiences and realizes that he didn’t do anything wrong but was just taken advantage of by someone who was apparently well-practiced in manipulating and abusing students.
What makes you so sure that Schmitt believes he did anything wrong?

As a survivor of sibling abuse, I have had several people assume that I believe I that I did something wrong. I didn't. My brothers did.
 

Tinami Amori

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I think it's very much in the skating culture for families to think that in order for their kids to get the best training, sacrifices have to be made. This means sending the skater halfway around the world to train in a different country, using up the family resources to pay for the expenses of skating, getting into rink wars with other parents, etc.
Why single out "skating"? it happens in any sport, or activity (music and art academies, special schools) when parents think their kid can be successful. And it is not just parents who initiate it, often a kid "wants it and nothing can stop him/her" and reluctantly parents agree.
 

overedge

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I don’t think it was just the USFSA that turned a blind eye to the case when it happened—there had to have been other coaches and professionals at the time who knew stuff but did not speak up only because they assumed such predatorial behavior was part of an “unspoken culture” that back in the day no one discussed.

There were other stories about Callaghan too, not involving sexual abuse but about him being a control freak in general. IIRC Susie Wynne developed an eating disorder while she and Joe Druar were his students, because Callaghan kept insisting that she lose weight. I also remember reading (maybe in one of Christine Brennan's books?) that Callaghan used to do things like wait outside a skater's house when they were out on a date, and then berate them when they got home for partying rather than going to bed early.

I suppose the "blind eye" was helped by his skaters being successful. There were benefits to looking the other way because he was producing medalists and champions :(
 

MacMadame

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I suppose the "blind eye" was helped by his skaters being successful. There were benefits to looking the other way because he was producing medalists and champions :(
When I was skating in San Diego, it was right after he and Todd had left and people told me they were forced out of our rink due to Callaghan's behavior. No details where given to me so I took it with a grain of salt but filed it away as something to be looking out for

I see this as being somewhat typical of how these situation were (and still are to some extent) handled back then. Which is the community gets rid of the problem adult so their kids are okay but don't do anything to protect other kids in the community the problem adult moves to.
 

Debbie S

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I see this as being somewhat typical of how these situation were (and still are to some extent) handled back then. Which is the community gets rid of the problem adult so their kids are okay but don't do anything to protect other kids in the community the problem adult moves to.
True, but there wasn't really any way to report something like that, unless there was clear evidence of something illegal, in which case it absolutely should have been reported to police. But rumors aren't enough, and a coach yelling at students isn't really criminal either. Sitting outside a skater's house in their car might be considered semi-illegal, but I'm sure the rink figured it was up to the parents to fight that battle.

I don't know what sort of behavior Callaghan's rinks were aware of, but there have been a couple instances of coaches being kicked out of rinks or clubs where I skated due to behavior - they weren't abuse situations, more about soliciting/stealing students from other coaches and being rude/yelling. In each case, they were warned and the problem continued. These incidents occurred over 10 years ago, before SafeSport and increased awareness about bullying and unprofessionalism. But even today, I'm not so sure what a rink could do about the coach going to other rinks. They could report the coach to SafeSport but if they were to notify other rinks or send out some sort of notice to all, then the coach could probably sue for defamation and seek damages. If abuse is witnessed or suspected, about the only things the rink can do are report it to authorities and kick the coach out if there is enough evidence to do that. Kicking out a coach, even if they are independent contractors and not employees, is not easy - in each case in my area, the rink did consult lawyers.

This underscores the importance of USFS keeping the list of suspensions on its website up to date. And they should notify clubs via email. ETA: I believe the PSA emails notices of suspensions to its entire list but club officers don't get those. But it takes a long time to reach that point after a complaint is filed. But without an actual official finding, it's hard to legally spread the word.
 
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MacMadame

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rue, but there wasn't really any way to report something like that,
It depends on what the issues were. If they included suspected child abuse, then there absolutely were avenues to report it.

But no matter what it was, the rink / club could have been more open about the issues so that other rinks could at least decide for themselves if they wanted to take that coach on knowing the issues that a prior club reports. I am sure they didn't do that because they were terrified of being sued. But there are ways to do it that could protect them.
 

Debbie S

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It depends on what the issues were. If they included suspected child abuse, then there absolutely were avenues to report it.
Oh, I agree. But they may not have been aware of that, if it was occurring.

Correcting myself: neither the PSA nor USFS sends out notifications of suspensions. But they should, b/c other rinks and clubs, unless they check the USFS website, have no idea. Clubs hosting comps do receive a list of banned members/coaches prior to the event, but would have no idea if someone is in process unless they are local and they heard through the grapevine. Which is why the SafeSport process needs to be transparent and expedited.

In the case of the coaches who were kicked out of my rink, that was hardly a secret, it was common knowledge in my area. But it's hard for another rink to deny a coach teaching privileges unless something specifically happened at their rink or if there is an active investigation or something official.
 

Vagabond

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He talked about that feeling of guilt that a lot of survivors feel in one of the articles linked here.
Do you have a link and a quote?

I have read the articles in Posts #359 and #365 and find no indication that Adam Schmitt has said that he feels he did anything wrong.

At any rate, I was asking @twizzletoes76, not you.
 

RoseRed

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Oh, I agree. But they may not have been aware of that, if it was occurring.

Correcting myself: neither the PSA nor USFS sends out notifications of suspensions. But they should, b/c other rinks and clubs, unless they check the USFS website, have no idea. Clubs hosting comps do receive a list of banned members/coaches prior to the event, but would have no idea if someone is in process unless they are local and they heard through the grapevine. Which is why the SafeSport process needs to be transparent and expedited.

In the case of the coaches who were kicked out of my rink, that was hardly a secret, it was common knowledge in my area. But it's hard for another rink to deny a coach teaching privileges unless something specifically happened at their rink or if there is an active investigation or something official.
I thought at least one of them is required to send out notices of any suspensions by Safe Sport. I can't remember which one. But it was discussed during the initial Coughlin stuff that a notification would have been sent out when Safe Sport gave him a temporary suspension.
 

Debbie S

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I thought at least one of them is required to send out notices of any suspensions by Safe Sport. I can't remember which one. But it was discussed during the initial Coughlin stuff that a notification would have been sent out when Safe Sport gave him a temporary suspension.
Actually, after I posted that, my club contact did clarify that PSA does send emails to members. Sorry for confusion. But club officers still don't receive anything, unless they or a family member is a coach. Right now, it seems that the only way club officers and members know about suspensions is if they check the USFS website. And if USFS doesn't keep it uodated....
 

Artistic Skaters

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There is a new statement on the USFSA website that directly addresses the comments in recent news articles by Craig Maurizi:
In addition, during this meeting with Mr. Maurizi, which lasted about 45 minutes, there was no position within U.S. Figure Skating offered to Mr. Maurizi, and there was no invitation for Mr. Maurizi to serve on an executive committee. There is, in fact, no such committee within the U.S. Figure Skating structure, nor is there a “new branch,” as he stated, in the organization. There was a discussion with Mr. Maurizi about sharing his story to help educate athletes, parents and coaches. During the meeting, Mr. Maurizi himself brought up the topic of speaking to the media. I reiterated to Mr. Maurizi that it was his decision – and his decision alone – if he wanted to share his story with athletes, parents and coaches, and/or the media. And to be clear – there was never any intent or attempt to silence Mr. Maurizi from telling his story to the media. In fact, Mr. Maurizi’s story has been public since 1999 when Mr. Maurizi first told his story to the New York Times and other media outlets. U.S. Figure Skating supported Mr. Maurizi coming forward to tell his story to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. And I made it clear, it was solely his decision to tell any others.
But they support Craig Maurizi even though they want to notify everyone he's not telling the truth? ( :confused: )
U.S. Figure Skating continues to be supportive of Mr. Maurizi. We support all victims of sexual abuse and encourage anyone who has been abused or suspects abuse to report it to local law enforcement and the U.S. Center for SafeSport or U.S. Figure Skating.
This is how USFSA wants to spend their time while (as Debbie S noted in the Ashley Wagner thread) USAG's Li Li Leung made the following statement this past weekend. She made several tone deaf missteps when she first joined USAG, but at least now is heading in the right direction.
I think historically our organization has silenced our gymnasts, and I am 100 percent supportive of giving our athletes a voice. Our athletes should be able to say what they feel and become whole doing so.”

I understand that we have let down many athletes, have let down Simone, and she needs time to heal from that. If voicing her concerns is a way to do that, I am completely supportive of that.”
Even PSA had an editorial by Jimmie Santee (Executive Director) after the questionable statement made by their Executive Board in response to Coughlin's suspension and death. He noted the number one priority is the safety of athletes, since the original statement implied they needed to advocate more for suspended coaches.

I just don't see USFSA getting past the reckoning and moving on with the confidence of their membership if they don't change the tone of the discourse from defensiveness to acknowledgement that they too "let down athletes" who experienced these problems at the turn of the century. They really need to stop trying to convince people with long memories that they were trailblazers when it comes to this issue.
 
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