In a civil lawsuit filed in Colorado on November 11, paralympics winner Robert Griswold, 25, was accused of “maliciously targeting, grooming, and sexually abusing” a younger, intellectually disabled teammate
Parker Egbert, who is 19 years old and has autism, intellectual disability, and developmental delay, said in his lawsuit that his disability made him “significantly more likely to be abused.”
Robert Griswold Team USA Paralympics Gold Medal Winner Accused Of Raping, Grooming And Abusing Younger Disabled Teammate
Griswold “violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed” Egbert during the Tokyo Paralympic Games and at the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (OPTC) in Colorado Springs, the lawsuit said, according to Daily Mail.
Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold accused of raping and abusing teammate https://t.co/EXqB0ODf9I via @theoldreader
— nde (@5472_nde) November 13, 2022
Along with Griswold, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the US Center for SafeSport, a non-profit organisation that works to stop abuse and harassment of athletes, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit because they did not do their jobs and “warn, supervise, or protect” Egbert.
Robert Griswold Was Suspensed
CNN says that Griswold was given a temporary suspension on August 23 because of “allegations of misconduct.” He was born with cerebral palsy.
In June 2021, during the Paralympic trials, Griswold tried to make friends with Egbert by making sure he sat next to him on planes and buses and had long periods of unsupervised access to him during the games.
DailyMail said that they also stayed in the same room in the Olympic Village, where the abuse continued and got worse. The lawsuit said that the alleged sexual predator called Egbert, who has the mental capacity of a five-year-old, his “little buddy.” Egbert has a mental age of five.
Egbert Feared Robert Griswold
In the lawsuit, it was said that Egbert wouldn’t take showers because the 25-year-old swimmer would “rape and sexually assault” him in the showers. Egbert’s only way out was to write stories. One of them, called “Spookley and the Hurricane,” was his only way to escape.
Statement from the attorneys representing the alleged victims of Paralympic gold medalist Robert Griswold in response to today's SwimSwam article on the topic: pic.twitter.com/ssY9Vxzg4s
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) October 20, 2022
Daily Mail, the story was about a group of friends who beat a powerful hurricane named “Hurricane Robert.” In the story, the hurricane is a monster.
According to the Washington Post, the lawsuit also said. “Robert Griswold raped Plaintiff so violently at least once that Plaintiff lost control of her bowels.” Plaintiff still has constant, excruciating rectal pain, which requires surgery and ongoing medical care.
The lawsuit says that Robert Griswold, who won two gold medals at Tokyo 2020, preyed on more than just Egbert. This is shocking. “Griswold took advantage of his position in the Olympic and Paralympic Swimming community to abuse vulnerable athletes,” the lawsuit said.
Egbert Has To Go Through Surgery After Attack From Robert Griswold
He had to have surgery because he was hit so many times. Also, because Griswold kept warning him, he couldn’t tell anyone about the danger. Because of Griswold’s success in the sport, the lawsuit also said that USOPC and SafeSport were aware of “credible allegations,”. But they worked together to hide them. When the issue was brought to the attention of the USOPC. Egbert’s parents said that the USOPC did not do anything about it.
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