Attorney General Curtis Hill Thursday confirmed his office’s investigation into USA Gymnastics and filed limited objections to the organization’s requests to continue the services of two consulting firms, Alfers GC Consulting LLC and Scramble Systems LLC.
The limited objections request the court deny USA Gymnastics’ motions if the consulting firms do not agree to: 1) comply with all laws and rules regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse; 2) monitor and promote compliance with the policies designed to protect and promote athlete welfare; and 3) work toward full implementation of the recommendations contained in the Daniels Report. (The “Report to USA Gymnastics on Proposed Policy and Procedural Changes for the Protection of Young Athletes” was issued by attorney Deborah Daniels on June 26, 2017.)
As the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States, USA Gymnastics has been the subject of numerous lawsuits alleging improper conduct, including that it failed to protect its member gymnasts and failed to report allegations of sexual abuse of said gymnasts to proper authorities. USA Gymnastics, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, currently is facing decertification by the United States Olympic Committee. While facing these lawsuits and decertification as the national governing body of gymnastics, USA Gymnastics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Indianapolis on Dec. 5, 2018.
“The allegations against USA Gymnastics are extremely disturbing,” Attorney General Hill said. “While my office typically refrains from commenting about ongoing investigations, we can confirm today that we have been investigating USA Gymnastics for nearly a year. Today we took an initial step toward strengthening protections for athletes participating in USA Gymnastics events and at member gyms around the country. We will continue working diligently to ensure non-profit entities in Indiana act with integrity.”
The Indiana Attorney General is charged with protecting the public interest in charitable and benevolent instrumentalities and ensuring the integrity of nonprofit entities operating within the State of Indiana.
