Gymnastics 'Watchdogs' Apparently Can't See What's Right in Front of Them
The Independent details how USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport allegedly ignored multiple complaints spanning years about coach Sean Gardner, allowing him to continue sexually abusing gymnasts. This isn't groundbreaking news; remember the Larry Nassar scandal? USA Gymnastics knew about decades of abuse by Nassar, ultimately leading to over 500 lawsuits and a $380 million settlement.
It appears a 'failure to protect' clause is written into their operating procedure, not a bug, but a feature. One might wonder at what point these 'oversight' bodies transition from accidental negligence to systemic enablement. How many more lawsuits will it take for 'protection' to mean something other than 'post-facto damage control' in the world of competitive youth sports?