Peter Foley (snowboarding)

Last updated

Peter Foley
Born1965or1966(age 58–59)
Alma mater
OccupationFormer snowboarding coach
Years active1994–2022
EmployerFormerly U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS)
Known forSuspended by SafeSport for ten years for sexual misconduct
Children2
Awards
  • USSS Coach of the Year (2001)
  • USSS Snowboard Coach of the Year (2021)

Peter Foley (born 1965or1966) is an American former U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) snowboarding coach. [1] [2] Foley served as the head coach of the U.S. Snowboard team starting with when it was founded in 1994, including at three Olympics. In 2001, he was named USSS Coach of the Year, and in 2021 he was selected by USSS as Snowboard Coach of the Year. He was fired by USSS in March 2022, after sexual misconduct allegations were made. He had been the coach of the U.S. snowboarding team for 28 years. On August 8, 2023, SafeSport suspended him for ten years for sexual misconduct. [3]

Contents

Biography

Early years

Foley is the son of Terry Foley, a Bend, Oregon native, former alpine ski racer, and ski coach. [4] He grew up as a ski racer in Colorado. [5] He initially attended the University of Colorado Boulder, and then transferred to the University of Oregon, where he studied journalism. [5] He began snowboarding in the early 1990s, and raced as a professional for two seasons. [5] As of 2010 he lived in Mt. Hood, Oregon, and in 2014 with his wife and two children in Hood River, Oregon. [5] [6] He is also director of Product Development at Insight Replay, which he co-founded in 2013. [7] [8]

Team USA snowboard team head coach

Foley served as the head coach of the U.S. Snowboard team starting in 1994, when it was founded, including at three Olympics, through 2022. [9] [10] By 2022, he had led it to seven Olympic Games, at which team members won a combined 35 Olympic medals. [1] Foley was in charge of seeding and deciding which athletes competed in World Cup competitions, in addition to the Olympic team. [11] In 2001 he was named U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) Coach of the Year, and in 2021 he was selected by USSS as Snowboard Coach of the Year. [12] [13]

2022; Safety plan, dismissal as coach, temporary suspension

In February 2022 former USSS team member and 2010 Olympian Callan Chythlook-Sifsof made social posts on Instagram during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics accusing Foley of sexual misconduct. [14] [15] [16] [1] [2] She wrote: "I cannot watch another Olympic Games without saying this publicly." [17] [18] Foley denied the allegations vehemently. [16] [1] [19] USSS immediately implemented an "athlete safety plan" that prohibited Foley from having "one-on-one interaction with female athletes," and from going into an athlete village. [1] [2]

USSS also immediately notified the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an organization authorized by the U.S. Congress to police reports related to sexual abuse in U.S. Olympic sports, upon learning of Chythlook-Sifsof’s Instagram post. [20] But on February 16, SafeSport Center vice president Bobby Click emailed USSS that: "based on the information the center has, we have chosen not to implement any types of measure." [20]

On February 21, 2022, USSS placed Foley on a leave of absence. [2] [21] It fired him on March 20, 2022, days after the Beijing Olympics concluded. [19] [2] [21] [22] [23] He had been coach of the U.S. snowboarding team for 28 years. [19]

In March 2022, three former athletes and a former USSS employee also filed sexual misconduct complaints about Foley with SafeSport. [2] [24] A former USSS employee said that in 2008 Foley coerced her into taking nude photos, and then sexually assaulted her as she said no and tried to move away from him, and eventually rolled her over and ejaculated on her back. [25] She alleged that he sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions. [26] One former athlete said that she was asleep in a hotel room when Foley slid in behind her, reached his "arm over my body and put his fingers inside me.” [27] SafeSport temporarily suspended Foley on March 18, 2022, pending its investigation. [24] [1] [20] The SafeSport temporary suspension was handed down over five weeks after the original Instagram post accusing Foley of sexual misconduct. [20]

USSS said that it had reported the allegations to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), as well as to SafeSport. [2]

2023; lawsuits, and 10-year suspension

In February 2023, Olympic bronze medalist Rosey Fletcher (parallel giant slalom) and other former USSS team members sued Foley, along with the national federation, its former CEO, and the USOPC, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for sex trafficking, harassment, and enabling and covering up repeated acts of sexual assault and misconduct, alleging that the defendants "conspired and acted in concert with one another to commit unlawful acts." [2] They alleged that Foley exploited his position of trust to "coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation, and retaliation." [2] Fletcher said that Foley sexually assaulted her at a U.S. team camp when she was 19, and again at a post-race event at the Olympics. [2] Former national team member Erin O'Malley alleged that she was "sexually assaulted and harassed ... by Foley, who exploited their unequal power dynamic." [2] Foley and the other defendants asked the court to throw out the lawsuit; a hearing is set for October 2023. [28]

Separately in February 2023, the former USSS employee who had previously filed a report with Safesport filed a lawsuit against Foley and others for the alleged sexual assaults. [2] [16] [29]

On August 8, 2023, after an 18-month investigation, SafeSport suspended Foley for ten years for sexual misconduct. [19] [30] [31] [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee</span> National Olympic and Paralympic Committee of the United States

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The USOPC is one of only four NOCs in the world that also serve as the National Paralympic Committee for their country. The USOPC is responsible for supporting, entering and overseeing U.S. teams for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Pan American Games, Parapan American Games and Junior Pan American Games and serves as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Salazar</span> Cuban-born American long-distance runner, and later, track coach

Alberto Salazar is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school. Salazar won the New York City Marathon three times in the early 1980s, and won the 1982 Boston Marathon in a race known as the "Duel in the Sun". He set American track records for 5,000 m and 10,000 m in 1982. Salazar was later the head coach of the Nike Oregon Project. He won the IAAF Coaching Achievement Award in 2013.

The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union. The AFLA changed its name to the United States Fencing Association in 1981, and is also known as USA Fencing.

Gabrielle Rose "Rosey" Fletcher is an American three-time Olympian snowboarder. She competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the 2006 Winter Olympics. Fletcher won the Olympic bronze medal in the 2006 women's Parallel giant slalom event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Gymnastics</span> National gymnastics governing body

United States of America Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. It sets the domestic rules and policies that govern the sport, promotes and develops gymnastics on the grassroots and national levels, and serves as a resource center for members, clubs, fans and gymnasts. It selects and trains the U.S. national teams for the Olympic Games and World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Shooting</span> Non-profit organisation in the US

USA Shooting (USAS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was chartered by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting's mission is to prepare American athletes to compete at the Olympic Games, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S., and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. The organization implements and manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Ski & Snowboard</span> National ski and snowboard organization

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, formerly known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the organization provides leadership and direction for skiers and snowboarders from over 400 member clubs. The association is headquartered in Park City, Utah.

Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, widely known as Parkettes, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It has produced several teams and individual gymnasts representing the United States, the Czech Republic, and Canada in international meets, including the Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Snowboarding</span>

U.S. Snowboarding, the snowboarding arm of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), is committed to the progression of snowboarding by providing athletic programs, services, and competitions for male and female athletes of all ages, coast-to-coast. Since the inclusion of snowboarding as a medal sport in 1998, U.S. Snowboarding has accounted for 14 Olympic medals, including the sweep of the podium in men’s halfpipe in 2002 and a best in the world performance of seven medals in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalilah Sappenfield</span> American figure skating coach

Dalilah Sappenfield is a former American figure skating coach and choreographer and specialized in pair skating. She started working as a coach in 1993, and was named the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, after her pair teams won the gold medals at the novice, junior, and senior levels at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Her pair Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She is the adoptive mother of Laureano Ibarra, and he and his first partner were her first pair team.

Maher "Mauro" Hamza is a fencing coach who was born in Cairo, Egypt. He coached at Texas A&M, Rice University, for US national teams, and for the Egyptian Olympic team. In November 2023, Hamza was ruled permanently ineligible by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which cited "Sexual Misconduct - involving Minors" as the reason for his ban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callan Chythlook-Sifsof</span> American snowboarder (born 1989)

Callan Chythlook-Sifsof is an American Olympic snowboarder who has competed in snowboard cross since 2005. She is a Yupik/Inupiaq. She is the first native of Alaska to compete in the Olympics.

Lars Ploug Jorgensen is an American former Olympic swimmer and college coach. In April 2024 the US Center for SafeSport suspended him temporarily for allegations of misconduct.

The Columbia Lions fencing team is the intercollegiate fencing team for Columbia University located in Manhattan, New York City. The team competes in the Ivy League within Division I of the NCAA. The university first fielded a team in 1898, under the leadership of coach James Murray. The team is currently coached by Michael Aufrichtig.

Robert Griswold is an American swimmer. He was a member of the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Paralympic Swimming Teams. He holds multiple American and world paralympic swimming records in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and individual medleys. He competes in the Paralympic classes S8/SB7/SM8, and has cerebral palsy that affects coordination and strength. The United States Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Griswold in 2020, reinstated him prior to the 2021 Paralympic Games, and then temporarily suspended him again in 2022, after he was accused of raping a fellow member of the US Paralympic Team at the 2021 Paralympic Games and thereafter; Griswold was later removed as a member of the US National Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal</span> Sexual abuse of young athletes by coaches and other adults from 1992–2016

The USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal relates to the sexual abuse of hundreds of gymnasts—primarily minors—over two decades in the United States, starting in the 1990s. It is considered the largest sexual abuse scandal in sports history.

The United States Center for SafeSport is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization set up to reduce sexual abuse of minors and athletes in Olympic sports in the United States.

Robyn Stevens is an American Olympic race walker. She competed for Vacaville High School, then went on to San José State University. Stevens suffered from an eating disorder and body dysmorphia while attending, which forced her to quit racing in 2004. She did not compete again until 2014. She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

Curtis McDowald is an American épée fencer. He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. McDowald is currently on a temporary suspension issue by USA Fencing in November 2023 pending investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alen Hadzic</span> American fencer (born 1991)

Alen Hadzic is an American former épée fencer. In 2023, he was ranked 361st in the world in men's epee. He had attended Montclair High School and Columbia University, competing for the fencing teams at both schools. A Title IX complaint of sexual abuse was lodged against him with the university, and after an investigation Hadzic was suspended by Columbia University for one year, and barred from the fencing team. Though he was banned from representing Columbia University, he wasn’t banned from fencing at large, and Hadzic went on to coach boys and girls on the Tappan Zee High School fencing team. In 2013 the lawyer for the woman who was the victim in Hadzic's Title IX case urged USA Fencing to bar Hadzic from competitions, referring to him as a "known rapist" and noting his suspension, but USA Fencing CEO Kris Ekeren asserted that Hadzic hadn’t violated any of USA Fencing's policies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson (March 18, 2022). "U.S. Snowboard head coach Peter Foley suspended by SafeSport after sexual misconduct allegations". ESPN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson (February 3, 2023). "Olympians sue USOPC, others for sex trafficking". ESPN.
  3. ↑ Carpenter, Les (August 9, 2023). "Former U.S. snowboard coach Peter Foley suspended after sexual misconduct probe". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  4. ↑ Woodward, Bob (November 4, 2009). "A Serious Snow Jones: Predicting about and riding into winter". The Source Weekly – Bend.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "US Snowboard Team: Coaches; Peter Foley; Head Coach". Mountain Zone.
  6. ↑ Rachel Bachman (January 30, 2010). "Olympic snowboarders love to train at Mt. Hood, so why doesn't Oregon produce more Olympians of its own?". Oregonlive.
  7. ↑ "About Insight Replay; Peter Foley". Insight Replay.
  8. ↑ Brandon Wright (September 23, 2015). "Lennard breaks down the game … during the game". Tampa Bay Times.
  9. ↑ Eddie Pells (August 8, 2023). "Former US snowboard coach Peter Foley suspended for sexual misconduct," Seattle Times.
  10. ↑ Alyssa Roenigk (February 11, 2022). "U.S. Ski & Snowboard investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and racial slurs". ESPN.
  11. ↑ Malatesta, Parker (March 28, 2022). "Multiple women accuse ex-U.S. Snowboard coach Peter Foley of sexual misconduct". TownLift, Park City News.
  12. ↑ "Coach of the Year Awards". U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
  13. ↑ "Sprang, Norge Ski Club Honored As U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coach, Club Of The Year". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. May 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ John Branch (February 12, 2022). "A U.S. Olympic snowboarding coach is under investigation for sexual misconduct". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Rachel Axon (March 22, 2022). "Report: Four women allege sexual misconduct by snowboarding coach Peter Foley". USA TODAY.
  16. 1 2 3 John Branch (March 22, 2022). "Snowboarding Coach Faces New Accusations of Sexual Misconduct; Peter Foley, already accused of coercing athletes into posing for nude photos, now faces scrutiny from more women. He has been relieved of his duties as a U.S. Olympic coach". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ Julie Jag (February 12, 2022). "Utah snowboarder Faye Gulini announces retirement, expresses support for embattled coach; On a day U.S. snowboarding wins gold, a former athlete accuses coach Peter Foley of inappropriate conduct toward women and building a toxic culture". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  18. ↑ Maxime Ducher (February 12, 2022). "l'entraîneur de snowboard américain Peter Foley accusé de harcèlement sexuel". Le Parisien.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Sean Neumann (August 9, 2023). "Longtime U.S. Snowboard Coach Peter Foley Suspended 10 Years for Sexual Misconduct; The decision concludes an 18-month investigation stemming from accusations made by a former U.S. Olympic team member". People.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Eddie Pells (April 14, 2022). "Sex-abuse case involving U.S. snowboard coach exposes flaws in new reporting system". Anchorage Daily News.
  21. 1 2 Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson (March 20, 2022). "Foley out at U.S. Snowboard after sexual misconduct allegations". ESPN.
  22. ↑ "Statement Regarding Termination Of U.S. Snowboard Coach Peter Foley". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. March 25, 2022.
  23. ↑ Aaro, David (March 20, 2022). "Peter Foley no longer employed by US Ski and Snowboard following sexual misconduct allegations; Foley served as the coach of the US snowboard team since its inception in 1994". Fox News.
  24. 1 2 Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson (March 22, 2022). "Women detail new sexual assault, misconduct allegations against ex-U.S. Snowboard coach Peter Foley". ESPN.
  25. ↑ "Former athletes accuse ex-U.S. Snowboard coach Peter Foley of sexual assault". Yahoo Sports. March 22, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Olympians sue USOPC, others for sex trafficking". ESPN.com. February 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Snowboarding Coach Faces New Accusations of Sexual Misconduct (Published 2022)". The New York Times . March 22, 2022.
  28. ↑ Bill Shaikin (August 8, 2023). "Former Team USA snowboard coach Peter Foley suspended 10 years for sexual misconduct". The Brunswick News.
  29. ↑ Daniela Perez (March 22, 2022). "Former U.S. snowboard coach Peter Foley accused of sexual assault". Sports Illustrated.
  30. ↑ "Centralized Disciplinary Database". U.S. Center for SafeSport.
  31. ↑ Les Carpenter (August 8, 2023). "Olympics; Former U.S. snowboard coach Peter Foley suspended after sexual misconduct probe," The Washington Post.
  32. ↑ Tom Schad (August 8, 2023). "SafeSport suspends ex-US Olympic snowboarding coach Peter Foley after sexual misconduct probe". USA TODAY.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.