Demand Investigation into Penn State Women's Gymnastics & Athletics
334 Comments
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
I am a Godparent of a daughter who was part of the PSU team. She gave up a full ride because of the abuse. She was an awesome gymnast and student. Was on the honor roll , won several awards for her gymnastic performance and by sophomore year she was mentally and physically destroyed. She was advised by several PSU Dr. and counselors that in order to get better she needed to leave the toxic environment. Please please help these and future students. I once had a child who dreamed to be a PSU gymnast her whole life and now we are trying to get her back to the happy healthy young adult she was prior to going to PSU. Help stop the abuse of the athletes. Don't allow one more young adult to have their dreams crushed by abuse. They have worked 4 hours a day, 7 days a week since the age of 4 to reach this goal. It is just so unfair. She still bleeds blue and white and loves PSU.
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
As a former elite level gymnast (early 1980's) this sort of emotional abuse took place in the gym I practiced at. It caused me to turn down a full ride scholarship because I thought this took place everywhere and I couldn't take four more years of it. I know now that what I experienced was wrong, but the fact that it still exists, at any level, is unacceptable. Coaches have an obligation to nurture the emotional well-being of their athletes. Any abuse leaves lasting scars which affect the rest of an athletes life, even after retirement.
Do the investigation!!
K
Kevin
10 years ago
Not the first time I heard about these coaches verbal abuse. Spent multiple nights on the phone with my girlfriend about this. School didn't investigate sqaut for reasons of laziness and lack of training in there department.
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Anonymous
10 years ago
-Auburn Gymnastics Alum
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Lisa Smart
10 years ago
Protect the students.
T
Tracy Pohle
10 years ago
It's a shame that these two have been allowed to perpetuate their harmful mental and verbal abuse on athletes who have trained their entire lives. The have cut short many athlete's gymnastics careers and caused extreme mental anguish. It's time for Penn State to take action.
K
Kasey Kilmurray
10 years ago
These coaches should no longer be able to work in the 'gymnastics world'. This is not fair for the girls. School is stressful enough. They should be able to come into the gym and do what they love and not have to worry about their coaches making nasty comments or getting involved with their personal lives. These girls deserve to be happy!
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Andrew C Thompson
10 years ago
Where there's smoke, there's fire!
E
Erna Laielli
10 years ago
Please protect the student athletes!
C
Christopher Boyce
10 years ago
Class of 1987
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Bruce Matus
10 years ago
Winning is not everything
A
Amanda Stickel
10 years ago
I wish I would have or someone would have spoke up before I transferred (when I was a runner at a different school a long time ago) This abuse is REAL it happens and it RUINS peoples lives.
B
Bob Fromme
10 years ago
Too much unsavory incidents at our beloved college. We need to investigate every claim and stop this sinking feeling we get after every negative story.
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
Justice needs to be served for messing with the lives of these gymnasts who work so hard day in and day out
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
This is outrageous, please investigate and protect the athletes!
J
Jay samuels
10 years ago
These women deserve better.
A
Arron Siminski
10 years ago
People that have no ability to effectively work with athletes should not be working with athletes! These people have created a diseased atmosphere that is plaguing the program, as well as the school itself. It's also quite sad to see that the school's athletic department and the NCAA have done nothing about this situation.
I'm glad to give my support towards remedying this problem. These athletes train for their entire childhoods, and they love what they do. Then they get lucky enough to have this fantastic opportunity at a division 1 school, only to have this happen. Why should they have their dreams torn apart?
This needs to end now.
M
Megan McGuire
10 years ago
It's about time to get these two "coaches" out of gymnastics.
C
Crystal
10 years ago
Sack them. There's enough toxicity in kid's worlds today without having it in their recreational activities too
S
Sue Smale
10 years ago
As s former D-1 gymnast I find these allegations to be serious, and absolutely worthy of an investigation. I know Sammantha Brown and absolutely believe her accounts, as she is a person with the utmost integrity. The truth must come to light! The NCAA needs to stop sweeping this stuff under the carpet and hold those accountable for any and all injustices against its athletes!
I am a Godparent of a daughter who was part of the PSU team. She gave up a full ride because of the abuse. She was an awesome gymnast and student. Was on the honor roll , won several awards for her gymnastic performance and by sophomore year she was mentally and physically destroyed. She was advised by several PSU Dr. and counselors that in order to get better she needed to leave the toxic environment. Please please help these and future students. I once had a child who dreamed to be a PSU gymnast her whole life and now we are trying to get her back to the happy healthy young adult she was prior to going to PSU. Help stop the abuse of the athletes. Don't allow one more young adult to have their dreams crushed by abuse. They have worked 4 hours a day, 7 days a week since the age of 4 to reach this goal. It is just so unfair. She still bleeds blue and white and loves PSU.
As a former elite level gymnast (early 1980's) this sort of emotional abuse took place in the gym I practiced at. It caused me to turn down a full ride scholarship because I thought this took place everywhere and I couldn't take four more years of it. I know now that what I experienced was wrong, but the fact that it still exists, at any level, is unacceptable. Coaches have an obligation to nurture the emotional well-being of their athletes. Any abuse leaves lasting scars which affect the rest of an athletes life, even after retirement. Do the investigation!!
Not the first time I heard about these coaches verbal abuse. Spent multiple nights on the phone with my girlfriend about this. School didn't investigate sqaut for reasons of laziness and lack of training in there department.
-Auburn Gymnastics Alum
Protect the students.
It's a shame that these two have been allowed to perpetuate their harmful mental and verbal abuse on athletes who have trained their entire lives. The have cut short many athlete's gymnastics careers and caused extreme mental anguish. It's time for Penn State to take action.
These coaches should no longer be able to work in the 'gymnastics world'. This is not fair for the girls. School is stressful enough. They should be able to come into the gym and do what they love and not have to worry about their coaches making nasty comments or getting involved with their personal lives. These girls deserve to be happy!
Where there's smoke, there's fire!
Please protect the student athletes!
Class of 1987
Winning is not everything
I wish I would have or someone would have spoke up before I transferred (when I was a runner at a different school a long time ago) This abuse is REAL it happens and it RUINS peoples lives.
Too much unsavory incidents at our beloved college. We need to investigate every claim and stop this sinking feeling we get after every negative story.
Justice needs to be served for messing with the lives of these gymnasts who work so hard day in and day out
This is outrageous, please investigate and protect the athletes!
These women deserve better.
People that have no ability to effectively work with athletes should not be working with athletes! These people have created a diseased atmosphere that is plaguing the program, as well as the school itself. It's also quite sad to see that the school's athletic department and the NCAA have done nothing about this situation. I'm glad to give my support towards remedying this problem. These athletes train for their entire childhoods, and they love what they do. Then they get lucky enough to have this fantastic opportunity at a division 1 school, only to have this happen. Why should they have their dreams torn apart? This needs to end now.
It's about time to get these two "coaches" out of gymnastics.
Sack them. There's enough toxicity in kid's worlds today without having it in their recreational activities too
As s former D-1 gymnast I find these allegations to be serious, and absolutely worthy of an investigation. I know Sammantha Brown and absolutely believe her accounts, as she is a person with the utmost integrity. The truth must come to light! The NCAA needs to stop sweeping this stuff under the carpet and hold those accountable for any and all injustices against its athletes!