Even as USA Gymnastics fought to contain a broadening sex abuse scandal last year, it allowed an official accused of misconduct to sit on a committee judging his own accuser’s performance, IndyStar has learned.
When it came time to vote on who would attend the World Championships, that official cast his ballot for another athlete. One with a lower score.
Even after USA Gymnastics was confronted about the official's apparent conflict of interest, a hearing panel upheld the selection. And the system that failed to detect and prevent that conflict remains in place today — raising questions about the potential for retaliation and the silencing of abuse survivors.
A blind eye to sex abuse: How USA Gymnastics failed to report cases
How he got away with it: How Larry Nassar abused hundreds of gymnasts and eluded justice for decades
Two years after IndyStar revealed the first public allegations of sexual abuse against longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the Indianapolis-based national governing body is still struggling to overhaul the culture that many say enabled Nassar to sexually assault as many as 330 women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.
Some wonder if it can ever regain the trust of the athletes it serves.
And the case of former coach George Drew and gymnast Kristle Lowell offers one narrow glimpse into the complexities of changing a culture that has been a stunning success in competition, yet a miserable failure when it comes to athlete protection.
Allegations of sexual misconduct
In a 2017 complaint to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, Lowell claimed Drew, her former coach who also is a doctor, conducted an unwanted and unnecessary breast exam.
Drew, who retired last year as USA Gymnastics' director of the trampoline and tumbling program, has denied wrongdoing. His USA Gymnastics membership is suspended pending a hearing, gymnastics records show. It's unclear when a decision will be made.
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