USA Gymnastics touts a list of coaches it has banned as a key safeguard to protecting young gymnasts and warning gym owners and parents about dangers, including sexual predators. But an IndyStar investigation has uncovered one example after another of coaches who were not only suspected of abuse, but actually convicted of molesting children, yet they did not show up on the banned coaches list for years — even decades — after that conviction.
Jon Little, an attorney who has represented survivors of sexual abuse in lawsuits against a number of sports national governing bodies, said USA Gymnastics’ banned list is “abysmal.” Among other findings by the newspaper: USA Gymnastics requires criminal background checks only on “professional” and “instructor” members, not all personnel at gyms, and it does not publicize when a coach’s membership is suspended due to an investigation into sexual improprieties. In addition, USA Gymnastics has failed to alert authorities to many allegations of sexual abuse by coaches.