Criminal Coaches in USA Swimming

When children find a passion to devote their life dreams to, it is truly a special moment of self-discovery. Parents find pride in their children's newfound devotion and do what they can to help them succeed. Parental support means entrusting children in the care of certain teachers, mentors and coaches who have the ability to turn them into the expert musicians, artists or athletes they aspire to be.

WARNING: Stay out of the Water

A recent revelation regarding sexual misconduct perpetrated by USA Swimming coaches should serve as an urgent warning to parents that they need to be vigilant in making sure their children are in safe hands.

In the past ten years, 36 different USA Swimming coaches have been permanently banned from the sport due to sexual misconduct.

A San Jose, California case illustrates this problem involves now former swim coach Andy King, 62. Last year, a fourteen-year-old victim came forward with allegations that King had molested her throughout the duration of their coaching relationship. Her courageous act of coming forward opened up the door for other victims to come forward as well.

As it turned out, by successfully keeping under the radar of USA Swimming's hiring process and timing his moves from job to job, King acquired at least 15 victims throughout his coaching career.

The hiring process prospective USA Swimming coaches go through involves a background test that merely checks for any criminal convictions and fails to take the necessary precaution of performing background interviews to discover more about the prospective coaches' histories. This extra step is crucial to discover any concerns regarding the coach's behavior at past jobs.

If background interviews, and a thorough investigation, of King had been conducted, suspicions held by parents or former employers could have been made known, which may have ended his coaching career before additional female athletes became his victims.

The San Jose firm of Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P represents one of the female victims and her family in the King case. The firm's hard work, along with the bravery of King's multiple victims, put the convicted sex offender in prison for 40 years. Corsiglia, McMahon and Allard continue to pursue the civil case against Mr. King, the team and USA Swimming. The lawsuit seeks fair compensation for the victims harms and losses and as importantly the firm believes that real change can be made as to the hiring process so that this tragedy is not repeated somewhere else in our country.

The fight has only begun

Advocates for children's safety are challenging USA Swimming's hiring standards. Their efforts are being met with resistance. USA Swimming's representative claims no sport has a perfect track record of hiring and that they do their best to protect their swimmers.

However, the King case is only one example of a coach taking advantage of hopeful, vulnerable, young swimmers. Many more stories are popping up that corroborate the belief that USA Swimming can do better to keep criminals out of coaching.

If you think you or a loved one has been taken advantage of by someone in an authoritative, mentor position, do not hesitate to contact an experienced attorney. You could be part of making the world a safer place for all kids with big dreams.