For more than a year, I’ve been investigating how youth sports organizations have failed to protect children from sexual abuse—and how gaps in the system have allowed coaches banned for misconduct to continue working with young athletes.
Coaches banned by SafeSport continue working with children
My reporting has found that the Amateur Athletic Union, a major nonprofit sports organization, has become a haven for coaches accused of abuse. I identified eight coaches who are still working with children through the AAU despite being banned by SafeSport, the center created by Congress to protect young athletes from abuse in sports. SafeSport maintains a public list that anyone can check.
The AAU has said it does not comment on individual cases. In a statement, however, the organization said it is “committed to protecting its athletes through comprehensive protection policies overseen by our Compliance Department.”
I also reported on Ryan Richardson, a Texas volleyball coach who continued coaching despite being banned by SafeSport. He is now under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.
Richardson did not respond to multiple requests for comment on ProPublica and The Washington Post’s reporting, or to an email seeking comment about the Homeland Security investigation. When he was first suspended in 2024, Richardson told the local news website MyRGV that complaints about him were an effort to “retaliate and defame someone’s character,” and he said he “would never do anything to risk the physical or mental wellbeing of these strong young ladies.”
Share your experience with youth sports abuse allegations
I’m still reporting, and I want to hear from you.
I know these are sensitive topics that can be difficult to discuss. I also know how important these stories are. If you know about a coach on the SafeSport list who is still working with children, or if you have other experiences with how youth sports organizations have handled abuse allegations, please fill out our brief questionnaire.
I’m particularly interested in:
- Instances of coaches continuing to work with children after being banned by SafeSport.
- How abusive coaches manipulate and deceive parents.
- Coaching abuse, safety and misconduct in basketball, where SafeSport has far less influence than it does in many other popular youth sports.
We take your privacy seriously and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story.
