Maggie Haney, the New Jersey-based coach of Olympic and world champion gymnasts, is under investigation by USA Gymnastics for verbal and emotional abuse and pressuring young female athletes to train and compete while injured, according to USA Gymnastics emails obtained by the Southern California News Group.
USA Gymnastics president and chief executive officer Li Li Leung confirmed in the emails that she and Mark Busby, the Indianapolis-based national governing body’s in-house counsel, are aware of the allegations. Busby has been aware of allegations against Haney since at least March, according to the emails. Several of the allegations pre-date Leung’s hiring in February, according to three people familiar with the investigation.
Haney is alleged to have screamed, threatened, bullied, and harassed gymnasts on a regular basis, according to a USA Gymnastics email. Haney has also told injured gymnasts to remove boot casts and to continue training and competing, according to an email.
The emails also reveal the frustration of some parents with what they describe as a lack of urgency by USA Gymnastics SafeSport department in investigating the allegations against Haney.
The emails do not indicate who filed complaints against Haney, but at least four families have made allegations against her to USA Gymnastics, according to three people familiar with the investigation.
Haney did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
USA Gymnastics declined to comment directly on the Haney investigation.
“Athlete safety and well-being are top priorities for USA Gymnastics, and all misconduct reports and concerns are taken very seriously and handled proactively,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “Thoroughly reviewing, evaluating and investigating a safe-sport report is vital, which means it is not necessarily a quick process. While it may appear to the outside that a report or matter is on hold or ignored, the truth is that the report/matter is being dealt with confidentially in accordance with the established process and procedures, which fully comply with federal law and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee requirements.
“USA Gymnastics only comments on a safe-sport matter if and when the resolution involves a public-facing result, such as being added to the list of individuals on the suspension/restrictions or permanently ineligible for membership lists, or if a panel’s decision yields a public-facing result.”
Haney, a former North Carolina State gymnast, began coaching at MG Elite Gymnastics in suburban Monmouth Junction, N.J., 45 miles from New York City. She is best known for coaching 2016 Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and Riley McCusker, who won a gold medal with the U.S. squad in the team competition at the 2018 World Championships and is a contender for multiple medals at the 2019 Worlds in Stuttgart (Oct. 4-13).
Hernandez, who also won an Olympic silver medal on the balance beam in addition to her team gold, took more than a year off from the sport after the Rio de Janeiro Games. She returned to the sport in 2018 and currently trains at Gym-Max in Costa Mesa, the same club that produced Olympic and World champion Kyla Ross.
The revelation comes less than two weeks after Anna Li, another high profile coach and an alternate on the gold medal winning 2012 U.S. Olympic team, resigned from her position on USA Gymnastics athletes’ council. Li’s resignation followed an SCNG report in which gymnasts and their parents alleged they were subjected to physical, verbal and emotional abuse by Li and her mother, Jiani Wu, a former Olympic medalist for China and U.S. national team coach. Nineteen individuals have confirmed allegations of abuse with SCNG and at least 10 formal complaints have been filed against Li and Wu with USA Gymnastics and/or the U.S. Center for SafeSport, according to confidential complaints and emails and interviews.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport began contacting alleged victims of Li and Wu, according to U.S. Center for SafeSport emails and interviews with four people familiar with the investigation.
Li and Wu denied any wrongdoing through their attorney Sam L. Amirante, saying that “we believe the facts of the investigation will ultimately exonerate (them) from any wrongdoing.”
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