The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has terminated the employment of coach Gary Colliander and director Eileen Carey following allegations of sexual abuse against a young biathlete, Grace Boutot. The Associated Press reported that Boutot's distress from the abuse led her to attempt suicide. Colliander's alleged misconduct prompted an administrative leave in December, shortly after the allegations became public, and his termination, along with Carey’s, occurred on March 14.
Colliander purportedly abused Boutot over a four-year period beginning in 2006, when she was only 15 years old, while coaching her at the Maine Winter Sports Center. After Boutot's suicide attempt in October 2010, which was a result of the emotional distress caused by the abuse, Colliander resigned from his position and later took on a coaching role with the U.S. Paralympic Nordic team in December 2016, where he served as the associate director of high performance.
Carey, who held the position of vice president at the Maine center during the time of abuse, was informed about it through discussions with Boutot's mother, Karen Gorman. Following her departure from the Maine Winter Sports Center in 2010, Carey advanced to a coaching role and eventually became the director of the Paralympic team, where she was present when Colliander was brought in as a coach. Despite inquiries about the process for hiring coaches, spokesperson Jon Mason did not provide details regarding how the Paralympic team vetted their hires, nor did he clarify whether Carey had any role in Colliander's hiring.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport initiated an investigation into Colliander in December after these allegations surfaced, with Mason confirming that the case remains active. Meanwhile, Colliander's lawyer, Simone Montoya, stated that he did not receive a clear reason for his termination and firmly denied all allegations of wrongdoing, asserting his commitment to cooperate fully in the ongoing investigation.
Boutot, now 34, participated in revealing her experience along with other athletes after a prior report detailed the abuses faced by Olympian Joanne Reid. She recounted that when Colliander started coaching her, he provided excessive attention accompanied by inappropriate touching. As she turned 18, the alleged conduct escalated to include kissing and sexual fondling. Despite Boutot's pleas for Colliander to stop, she found herself overwhelmed by depression, which led to her self-harming behaviors. Notably, her therapist alerted Colliander about her mental health struggle and advised him to cease coaching her, but he continued until following her suicide attempt.
After resigning the next day, Colliander began coaching in Colorado but was later hired again by the U.S. Paralympic team. Boutot attempted to persist in her sport but faced discrimination from both the center's staff and her peers, who improperly blamed her for Colliander's departure. In light of the abuse she suffered, Boutot's mother repeatedly communicated with Carey and other officials at the sports center, expressing concern over the coach-athlete relationships, but Boutot ultimately indicated that no investigation was carried out regarding her claims.
Boutot later filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission in 2011, alleging that the sports center failed to prevent the abuse and retaliated against her upon reporting it, denying her access to coaching and funding for her athletic endeavors. The center settled with Boutot for $75,000 in September 2011, following which she decided to quit competing.
In conclusion, this disturbing revelation highlights significant concerns about athlete safety and the measures, or lack thereof, put in place to protect young athletes from abuse in competitive sports. The ongoing investigations by SafeSport aim to address these serious allegations and foster a safer environment within Olympic and Paralympic organizations.
