U.S. Figure Skating allowed allegedly abusive coach Richard Callaghan to stay on the ice. He abused again, a new lawsuit claims.
A former competitive figure skater says that he was sexually abused by once-celebrated Olympic coach Richard Callaghan in the years after the sport’s national governing body dismissed complaints of sexual misconduct against him, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
That decision, Schmidt’s complaint says, allowed Callaghan’s alleged abuse of Schmidt to “continue unabated,” resulting in what the complaint describes as a litany of trauma-related psychological damages, including “anxiety, depression, fear, grief and stress.” WATCH: The ABC News feature on sexual abuse allegations in figure skating, now streaming on abcnews.com and the ABC News app.
“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.
“The visits to his office after my lessons on the ice started to become a lot more frequent,” Schmidt said. “And then they started to become a lot more graphic.” Schmidt’s allegations add to what appear to be growing concerns among those charged with oversight of sports governing bodies about the extent of the sexual abuse problem in figure skating.
“U.S. Figure Skating strongly refutes the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s March 4 statement but shares the Center’s mission to make athlete well-being the centerpiece of American sports culture,” the statement reads. “With minors comprising the majority of U.S. Figure Skating membership, athlete safety is paramount. U.S.
“I didn't realize it then, but looking back on it, I was living in a bubble, you know, that was just my sport,” Schmidt said. “I think we all were. I didn't go to school. I was home schooled and I would tutor in the facility. … I did nothing else. … And I think that's really important for people to understand that I didn't even start to understand what had happened to me until I got out of that bubble and I left the sport in 2014 and I went into the, like, real world.
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