DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport on Monday permanently banned a Paralympic swimmer who was accused of sexually assaulting an autistic teammate at the Games in 2021 and for about a year after that.
The center handed down the suspension to Robert Griswold, whose case led to a 2022 lawsuit that was eventually dismissed when a judge ruled the court lacked jurisdiction.
The lawsuit spelled out a pattern of grooming and sexual assault that began when Griswold and the swimmer traveled to Tokyo for the Paralympics in 2021. It accused the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the SafeSport center for “shielding and protecting” Griswold while he committed the acts.
“Accountability is the path to long-term culture change,” said the center’s new CEO, Benita Fitzgerald Mosely. “We are grateful to those who come forward with their stories because they make it possible for the Center to take action and protect others.”
The USOPC did not immediately comment on the latest action by the center and Griswold’s attorney did not immediately return an email sent by The Associated Press.
The center, created in 2017 to deal with sex abuse in Olympic and Paralympic sports, was removed from the lawsuit over jurisdictional issues in 2023. Two years later, a federal judge dismissed the suit altogether.
The center placed Griswold on temporary suspension in August 2022, and more than 3 1/2 years later, increased that to permanent ineligibility for sexual and physical misconduct. The center’s Centralized Disciplinary Database said Griswold has the right to appeal.
Though the plaintiff is named in the lawsuit he filed, the AP does not typically identify abuse victims without explicit permission. The plaintiff’s attorneys, Jason Lampert and Elizabeth Kramer, said in a statement that “the findings mark an important step toward accountability and justice.”
The lawsuit alleged the USOPC allowed Griswold to share a room and a shower with the plaintiff — an “especially troubling” decision “considering the extent of Plaintiff’s disabilities,” which left him with the mental capacity of a 5-year old.
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