Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold has been accused of raping and sexually abusing a younger teammate.
A civil lawsuit filed Friday in Colorado alleged that Griswold was “maliciously targeting,” grooming and sexually assaulting a younger, intellectually disabled teammate Parker Egbert.
Egbert, now 19, is a Paralympic swimmer, born with autism, and has suffered from developmental delays and intellectual disabilities throughout his life, making him “significantly more vulnerable to abuse.”
He competed in the United States at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and was “violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by his teammate, Defendant Robert Griswold,” the lawsuit alleges.
The alleged abuses allegedly took place during the Tokyo Paralympic Games and at the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (OPTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“This case is a horrific tragedy, in which a young man who defied all odds to become a world-class Paralympic swimmer had his life completely destroyed by rape and abuse when he was linked to a team member who was a violent sexual predator” lawsuit says.
Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold has been charged with raping and sexually abusing a younger teammate in a civil lawsuit filed Friday in Colorado
The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the US Center for SafeSport — a Denver-based nonprofit founded in 2017 to protect athletes from sexual assault and abuse — are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that Egbert suffered “serious physical injuries, pain and suffering, and extreme mental and emotional distress, most likely to endure for the rest of his life” as a result of Griswold’s alleged actions and failures of USOPC and SafeSport in their tasks.
It alleges that the USOPC and SafeSport failed to perform their duties as they failed to “warn, monitor and/or protect” the plaintiff.
“The allegations made in the complaint filed today are extremely concerning and we take them very seriously,” said Jon Mason, a USOPC spokesperson.
“We have made the decision to place two staff members on administrative leave and have also halted the work of several contractors at US Paralympics Swimming. We are also continuing our investigation into the allegations to help us establish the facts, and we are committed to taking appropriate action.”
Griswold, born with cerebral palsy, won two gold medals in Tokyo 2020. He was Egbert’s teammate and traveled with him to the event in Japan, which took place in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the lawsuit, Griswold made ‘a concerted effort to ‘become friends’ during the Paralympic trials in June 2021 [Egbert]constantly referring to [Egbert] as his ‘buddy’.’
During the Games, Griswold made sure that Egbert was always “sit next to him on plane and bus rides and allowed unsupervised access to him for extended periods of time” because they shared a room in the Olympic Village, and “intensified care,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also alleges that Griswold was appointed as Egbert’s supervisor during the match, rather than a certified adult supervisor.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Griswold for comment.
Griswold (center), born with cerebral palsy, won two gold medals at Tokyo 2020
“Notably, Defendant USOPC and Defendant US Center for SafeSport allowed Griswold to supervise and share a bedroom with Plaintiff without any supervision, despite USOPC and SafeSport receiving reports that Griswold was sexually abusing other teammates,” the statement read. lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that the USOPC observed the behavior but allowed it to continue.
Another unidentified athlete witnessed the abuse, according to the lawsuit, and in one case became so angry that he slammed into the wall of the room where the trio were staying.
The lawsuit alleges that in 2021 Egbert was repeatedly assaulted and raped during the competition, so much so that he had to undergo surgery for the damage caused by Griswold.
In addition, Griswold told Egbert that he would “get in trouble” and “come the police” if he ever told anyone about the alleged attacks.
Griswold of the United States will compete in the men’s 200m individual medley SM8 qualifying during day six of the 2022 Paraswimming World Championships in June
“Notably, Defendant USOPC and Defendant US Center for SafeSport allowed Griswold to supervise and share a bedroom with Plaintiff without any supervision, despite USOPC and SafeSport receiving reports that Griswold was sexually abusing other teammates,” the statement read. lawsuit.
In December 2021, Egbert won three gold medals at the US Paralympics Swimming National Championship and as a result was invited to attend and train at the OPTC in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
However, the abuse was allowed to continue and intensify at the OPTC as Egbert again became a roommate at Griswold.
The lawsuit says tats refused to shower Egbert, where Griswold would rape and sexually assault.
It adds that he would use story writing as a means of escape. One particular story, titled “Spookley and the Hurricane,” was about a group of friends who were “brave” in defeating “a powerful hurricane called Hurricane Robert,” whom Egbert called a “monster.”
When his parents pressured him about the story, Egbert revealed Griswold’s abuse to them.
They reportedly raised concerns to the USOPC, but it “refused to comment on the matter,” the lawsuit alleges.
Griswold, USOPC and SafeSport’s “does and omissions” have forced Egbert to “make the difficult decision to leave his lifelong dream behind,” the lawsuit adds.
Griswold (center) won gold in the men’s 200m individual medley SM8 final at the 2022 Para Swimming World Championships
It also claims that ‘Griswold used his status in the Olympic and Paralympic swimming community to carry out a systematic pattern of abuse, seeking out and caring for vulnerable athletes, particularly underage and disabled Paralympic athletes who live and train in the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado.”
It goes on to claim that USOPC and SafeSport were aware of “credible allegations” of abuse against Griswold, the lawsuit says, “but colluded to cover up such allegations” because of his success as a Paralympic swimmer.
Parker Egbert filed a lawsuit today in Colorado federal court against Robert Griswold, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The action contains serious allegations of sexual abuse by Mr Griswold and argues that the commissions were responsible and complicit in allowing these heinous acts,” said Frank Salzano of Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson and Elizabeth Kramer of Erickson Kramer Osborne. in a statement.
‘The facts and circumstances are detailed in the official report and for that reason the Egbert family is not making any statements about the case at this time. As you can imagine, this ordeal has been extremely difficult for the Egbert family, as well as the other victims and families affected, so we ask that their privacy be respected.”
As part of the lawsuit, Egbert and his family are seeking a lawsuit for damages caused by Griswold’s alleged continued attacks on Egbert, and before the USOPC for allegedly covering up the attacker’s behavior.
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