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There was an eight-year gap between when young gymnasts and their parents began raising the alarm about a coach in 2017 and when he was arrested on federal child pornography charges earlier this year.
U.S. Center for SafeSport – This organization is run by congress Fight against such abuse – sanctioning coach Sean Gardner until 2022.
Now, an Associated Press investigation has found that months before Gardner was arrested in August for allegedly installing a camera in a Purvis women’s gym bathroom, mississippiAs part of the deal, he was willing to accept a lifetime ban from coaching gymnastics and admit the abuse, according to three people involved in SafeSport and its handling of the case.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from SafeSport.
No clear reason was ever given as to why the center did not impose a permanent ban in a case that has been dubbed “Naxal 2.0” in reference to the abuse scandal involved. Larry Nassar almost destroyed USA Gymnastics and brought with it the need for safe sports centres.
Meanwhile, Gardner has pleaded not guilty to federal child pornography charges and remains in jail awaiting trial on March 2.
Here are some key takeaways from the latest AP investigation.
Experts believe there is a significant difference between a temporary ban and a lifetime ban
Critics see SafeSport’s inability to impose permanent bans as a failure that undermines one of its missions – ensuring permanent sanctions against the most dangerous abusers.
Asked why the Safe Movement had not followed up, center spokesperson Hilary Nemczyk said in a statement that she could not comment on those details.
However, she said SafeSport “acted quickly to protect the athlete from harm after receiving the first allegation of sexual misconduct. The restrictions during the temporary and permanent suspensions are the same.”
Regarding SafeSport’s overall handling of the case, the statement said, “Even if the defendant agrees to significant sanctions, center staff are still required to ensure that the defendant is dealt with fairly.”
The center temporarily suspended Gardner in July 2022 and posted information about his punishment in its disciplinary database.
But people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Gardner’s permanent ban indicates he is ready to sign in early 2025, which would change his status in the database and end the investigation.
They said one of the differences a permanent ban would make is eliminating the possibility of the case going to arbitration and the need for re-interviews and the potential re-traumatization of athletes. It would also eliminate the risk of any ban on Gardner being lifted if he is acquitted in the criminal case.
Just as important, it would send a clear message to parents, people in the sports community and possible employers, said Michelle Simpson Tuegel, an attorney for the gymnasts in the Nassar case.
“It communicates the final decision,” she said. “That means something. It’s not something that’s being adjudicated, maybe this person was wrongly accused.”
Despite being suspended from coaching gymnastics for two years, Gardner took a job as a surgical technologist at MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center in May 2024, where he placed patients on the operating table and assisted with surgical and post-operative care. A hospital spokesman did not respond to voicemails and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Gardner’s attorney, Omodare Jupiter, also did not respond to email and phone messages from The Associated Press asking questions about SafeSport’s handling of his client’s case.
Some of the allegations have been in the spotlight for years
Since his arrest, Gardner’s sanction on the SafeSport disciplinary database has been upgraded from “temporary suspension” to “ineligible” for “criminal disposition involving a minor” and “sexual misconduct.”
If convicted, Gardner will be permanently disqualified from coaching gymnastics. The center could have made the move in early 2025, people familiar with the matter said.
Meanwhile, SafeSport, USA Gymnastics and coaches Iowa The gym where Gardner worked is named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by two gymnasts who say they did not do enough to protect them.
The lawsuit alleges that in December 2017, a girl’s parents notified USA Gymnastics and SafeSport of inappropriate behavior by Gardner while coaching at Jump’In Gymnastics in Purvis, Mississippi.
SafeSport and USA Gymnastics both declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The SafeSport Center said it was notified by USA Gymnastics in January 2018 that one of its affiliated gyms had resolved a report involving Gardner. But the center said it was not investigating further because the report was not related to sexual misconduct and no details had been received.
Gardner, meanwhile, got a job in 2018 at Chow Gymnastics and Dance Academy in West Des Moines, Iowa, a gym owned by famed coach Joe “Chow” Liang who has produced Olympians including gold medalist Shawn Johnson.
It wasn’t until 2022 that the Iowa gym fired Gardner and the center temporarily suspended him when SafeSports received new abuse allegations. The gym and Joe named in the lawsuit did not respond to phone and email messages left by The Associated Press.
It took another three years of The Associated Press investigation to reveal the depth of the allegations against Gardner and the shortcomings of the regulatory agencies set up to protect athletes in the wake of the Nassar case.
Simpson-Tugall said the comparisons to the Nassar case were not surprising.
“You look at the timeline and see how many people knew and failed to protect children and allowed this person to continue to have access,” she said.
“You do see a point in some cases where it absolutely could have been stopped, but it wasn’t.”
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Associated Press reporter Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this report.