Maggie Haney abuse case to receive ruling April 29
USA Gymnastics is set to rule on the Maggie Haney abuse case on Wednesday, April 29, following almost three months of hearings and an even longer investigation regarding allegations against the decorated coach.
According to OCRegister.com, USAG had initially told parties involved in the case that a ruling would be issued on Wednesday, April 22–two days ago–but no decision ever came.
USAG officials issued an apology on Thursday, telling parties there had been a mistake in the hearing panel’s ruling date, with the actual decision set to now be announced on April 29. Haney’s attorney, Russell Prince, said USAG cited a “misread calendar issue.”
Although it’s only one more week waiting for a decision that has been a year in the making, the alleged victims and their families are said to be anxious for this investigation and trial to come to an end.
Haney was suspended by USAG on February 3 after at least a dozen gymnasts filed abuse complaints against the coach, including two of her star pupils: 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist Laurie Hernandez and 2018 World champion Riley McCusker.
The allegations against the Olympic and World coach are extensive, including claims of regular threatening, bullying, and harassing. One of the most well known assertions is that Haney told injured gymnasts to remove casts and other items in order to continue training and competing.
Haney isn’t alone in her fight to continue coaching. Several NCAA Division I gymnasts and former U.S. national team coaches have come to her defense. They say Haney is “tough, and at times abrasive, but not abusive.”
Hernandez seems to have been the first athlete to file a complaint against her former coach, reporting Haney shortly after the Rio Olympics in 2016. The Dancing with the Stars champion now lives in California and trains at Gym-Max in Costa Mesa.
McCusker’s relationship with Haney began unraveling at the FIG All-Around World Cup in Birmingham, England, last March. There, Haney allegedly criticized McCusker for a poor performance on vault. The then 17-year-old gymnast went on to finish second behind Russia’s Aliya Mustafina.
Despite the aforementioned issues, McCusker continued to train with Haney. She missed the World Championships last fall due to “mild rhabdomyolysis”–a muscle injury that is frequently linked to overtraining and can become life-threatening.
McCusker has since recovered and left Haney’s gym, MG Elite, shortly after her suspension. She is now training at Arizona Sunrays in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside fellow World medalist and U.S. teammate Jade Carey. They are coached by Carey’s father, Brian.
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