“This case is a horrific tragedy, where a young man who defied all odds to become a world-class Paralympic swimmer had his life utterly shattered by rape and abuse when he was paired with a team member who was a violent sexual predator,” the grievance states.
Griswold didn’t reply to an e-mail looking for remark Friday and has mentioned nothing publicly in regards to the allegations, which first surfaced final month on the favored swimming web site SwimSwam. He was given a brief suspension by SafeSport on Aug. 23 for “allegations of misconduct” and isn’t allowed to compete whereas the case stays open.
The lawsuit fees the USOPC and SafeSport with negligence for failing to guard Egbert and for permitting Griswold shut entry to the athlete, although Griswold had confronted prior allegations of misconduct and had acquired a earlier short-term suspension in September 2020, which was lifted earlier than the Tokyo Paralympics.
“The allegations brought forth by the complaint filed today are extremely concerning and we take them very seriously,” a USOPC spokesman mentioned in a press release. “We’ve made the decision to place two staff members on administrative leave and have also stopped the work of several contractors with U.S. Paralympics Swimming. We’re also continuing our investigation of the allegations to help us determine the facts, and we are committed to taking appropriate action.”
Representatives for U.S. Paralympics Swimming didn’t reply to messages looking for remark Friday. Emails despatched to Erin Popovich, the group’s director, and Nathan Manley, the affiliate director, acquired automated replies with each officers saying they’re “currently away on leave.”
A spokesman for SafeSport, the five-year-old nonprofit group tasked with investigating and stopping sexual abuse in Olympic sports activities organizations, declined to touch upon the lawsuit.
A Colorado Springs Police Department spokesman confirmed to The Washington Post final month that there was “open and active investigation” associated to Griswold however declined to disclose any particulars. Griswold has not been charged with any crimes.
The Washington Post usually doesn’t title victims of sexual assault, however Egbert recognized himself in Friday’s court docket submitting. Through an lawyer, Egbert and his household declined to remark additional.
“As you can imagine, this ordeal has been extraordinarily difficult for the Egbert family, as well as the other victims and families that have been impacted, so we ask that their privacy be respected,” attorneys Frank Salzano and Elizabeth Kramer mentioned in a press release.
According to the lawsuit, Egbert was born with autism, didn’t converse his first phrases till he was 6 and in the present day “has the mental capacity of a five-year old.” But he confirmed promise within the swimming pool on the U.S. Paralympic trials in June 2021, the place he certified for the Tokyo Games.
According to the grievance, that’s additionally the place Griswold, a 25-year previous swimmer who was born with cerebral palsy, befriended and commenced grooming Egbert. By time the nationwide group obtained to Tokyo later that summer time, Griswold was Egbert’s “de facto chaperone” in line with the lawsuit, and “was always seated next to him on plane and bus rides, and was given prolonged unsupervised access to [Egbert] as the two shared a room in the Olympic Village.” The grievance alleges the “USOPC assigned Griswold to be a supervisor of” Egbert.
Griswold abused Egbert on a number of events, in line with the grievance, and warned Egbert that he “would get in trouble” and “the police would come,” if he spoke out.
There was at the very least one witness to the abuse in Tokyo, in line with the submitting. A 3rd, unnamed roommate grew to become so enraged by what he noticed, that athlete punched a wall and was later reprimanded by group officers for his outburst, the lawsuit states.
Griswold, a two-time Paralympian from Freehold, N.J., received two gold medals and broke a world report in Tokyo, and the grievance alleges he’d change into an influential determine within the U.S. Paralympic world. The lawsuit states that Griswold urged U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officers to increase an invitation to Egbert to stay and prepare on the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The two athletes have been once more paired collectively as roommates, the lawsuit states, and the abuse continued.
“On at least one occasion, Griswold raped Plaintiff so viciously that Plaintiff lost bowel control. To this day Plaintiff continues to suffer from persistent and excruciating rectal pain, for which surgery and continuing medical attention is required,” the grievance states.
According to the submitting, Egbert stopped showering and commenced writing tales “as a means of escape,” together with the story of “Spookley and the Hurricane,” a couple of group of pals who battled a robust monster known as “Hurricane Robert.” His dad and mom reached out to USOPC officers when Egbert first revealed the abuse allegations, the grievance states, “but the USOPC failed to investigate the issue and summarily and dismissively told Plaintiff’s parents that Plaintiff was just fine, and that Griswold posed absolutely no risk to Plaintiff.”
The lawsuit alleges the USOPC and SafeSport protected Griswold, who “was a premier swimmer, and because Griswold’s family was deeply embedded with leaders throughout the U.S. Paralympic swimming community.”
The grievance provides no particulars about Griswold’s earlier suspension however says the USOPC and SafeSport ignored purple flags and former complaints earlier than putting Egbert in a harmful state of affairs with little to no oversight.
“Griswold’s physical, verbal, and sexual abuse occurred in large part because of the acts and omissions of USOPC and SafeSport,” the grievance states.
In August, the USOPC suspended Griswold from the coaching heart and eliminated him as a member of the nationwide group, and SafeSport issued its short-term suspension. One week earlier, in line with social media posts, Griswold married his fiance in a Florida seaside ceremony.
Egbert’s dad and mom traveled to Colorado Springs that week and took their son house to Iowa. According to the grievance, the younger swimmer “had to make the difficult decision to leave behind his lifelong dream.”
“Since his return home, [Egbert] has continuously told his parents ‘thank you for saving me from’ Griswold,” the lawsuit states, “however, to this day, [Egbert] remains fearful that Griswold ‘knows where they live’ and ‘is going to kill [him].’”