Sexual Abuse Cases by Coaches

A coach has the opportunity to be a supportive and nurturing role model, and to help an athlete succeed in ways they didn’t know were possible. Unfortunately, with the wrong intentions, that relationship can become abusive. It can start with years of grooming and the sense that “favors are owed.” A relationship with a coach can feel like a trusted relationship with a friend or family member which a predator can use as an opportunity to take advantage of those vulnerabilities. Among the most high profile coaches charged with sexual abuse are:

Jerry Sandusky

Jerry Sandusky was the former defensive coordinator at Penn State and was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2012. He was accused of abusing 10 boys over 15 years and some of that abuse was covered up by University officials. In 1977 Sandusky established The Second Mile in State College, PA as a group foster home devoted to helping troubled boys. It grew into a statewide charity with sports figures as honorary board members like then Penn State head coach, Joe Paterno. Sandusky used this program as a hunting ground for his victims and often abused these victims during car rides or while showering together in the locker room at Penn State.

Andrew King and U.S.A. Swimming

In 2020 six women sued U.S.A. Swimming for failing to protect them from coaches that were sexual predators. Coaches were allegedly sexually assaulting girls and young women for years without consequence from swimming clubs or associations. One such coach was Andrew King who is now serving s prison sentence of 40 years for child molestation. King used grooming techniques to gain the trust of the girls he abused such as giving them gifts, dinners, and asking them to marry him and then he would threaten to end their swimming career if they disclosed the abuse.

John Rembao

Former track and field coach John Rembao was accused of sexually assaulting three student athletes. He would allegedly groom the young women to gain their trust and then verbally and emotionally abuse them and sexually assault them. The three plaintiffs are seeking to hold the NCAA accountable since their lack of reporting allowed him to move among NCAA schools in order to continue his predatory behavior.