Severe Aggressive Behavior
In 2016, gymnast Laurie Hernandez won an Olympic silver medal on the balance beam. Now, she’s accusing her coach, Maggie Haney, of emotional abuse. Multiple gymnasts accuse Haney of what U.S.A. Gymnastics calls “severe aggressive behavior.” Several are going to court over it.
Gymnastics and Lawsuits
One athlete heading to court is Riley McCusker. She’s an Olympic hopeful and four-time U.S.A. Gymnastics national team member. The website GymCastic obtained a redacted version of the complaint. It alleges that Haney forced McCusker to train through multiple injuries. These include “an injured wrist in April 2017, a hamstring injury from July to October 2017, a fractured ischium from August to October 2017, an injured foot in January 2018 that was later found to be multiple stress fractures, impingement and tear in her shoulder from January to March 2019, and exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis in June 2019, despite McCusker stating she was in pain.”
Haney Speaks
In an interview with the New York Times, Haney said “I think my mistakes were that I cared too much… maybe what used to be OK is not OK anymore, and maybe it shouldn’t be. I think the culture has shifted.” Haney is appealing her eight-year ban. However, in the meantime, the shadow of Larry Nasser and other abusive coaches remains over the gymnastics world.
