“I think it’s important for people to see that things like this can happen to anybody. I’m tough as nails, but something this horrifying still happened to me. It’s not enough for me to be a strong woman to make things like this not happen.”
Christine BrennanOlympic figure skater Ashley Wagner, the 2016 world silver medalist and most successful U.S. female skater of her era, told USA TODAY Sports this week that the late John Coughlin sexually assaulted her in June 2008 after a party at a national team figure skating camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when she had just turned 17 and Coughlin was 22.
Bridget Namiotka, who was Coughlin’s pairs teammate from 2004 to 2007, when she was between the ages of 14 and 17 and he was 18 to 21, posted on Facebook in May that Coughlin “sexually abused” her for two years. After years of “completely blocking out” what happened, and of being “afraid” to speak out as a young woman in a judged sport, Wagner said both the emergence of the #MeToo movement and the news of SafeSport’s action against Coughlin – an interim measure Dec. 17 preceded his Jan. 17 suspension – spurred her to action.
“What happened to Ashley should not happen to anyone, period," USFS spokeswoman Barbara Reichert told USA TODAY Sports in a statement."Ashley is incredibly strong; not just to have the courage to come forward with her story, but to share her experience publicly to help others. Ashley recently spoke at U.S. Figure Skating athlete safety seminars and her experience and message of empowerment had a profound impact on skaters and their parents.
“After that, I remember started kissing my neck, and I remember being so surprised and shocked that I didn’t quite know what to do so I just stayed still because I thought maybe he would realize I was still asleep and wouldn’t want to continue on and then I just remember getting really scared when he kept going. I didn’t know what to do.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jody Margolin Hahn To Direct Netflix Comedy Pilot ‘The Expanding Universe Of Ashley Garcia’EXCLUSIVE: Prolific multi-cam director Jody Margolin Hahn is set to helm the pilot and additional episodes of The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, Netflix’s new multi-camera Latinx comedy…
Read more »
Ashley Olsen's Goth Summer Style Is Inspiring to MeIn the summer, I want nothing more than to forget I reside in a meat sack and whenever possible, escape my corporeal form. This can be accomplished, in my limited experience suffering through sweltering summers in New York (summer is better everywhere else, bye!!!), by wearing very loose-fitting, breathable clothing. Anything mesh or viscose is a blessing. Crop tops and skorts are a godsend.
Read more »
Ashley Olsen Is Breaking All the Summer Style RulesAshley Olsen has a special knack for nailing the art of understated style.
Read more »
Ashley Olsen Raises Engagement Speculation With RingWait a N̶e̶w̶ ̶Y̶o̶r̶k̶ minute... Is that an engagement ring on Ashley Olsen's finger?
Read more »
I Want to Be Wearing That: Ashley Olsen's Movie Theater OutfitAshley Olsen emitted surfer vibes as she walked into the Pacific Palisades movie theater with friends. From far away, you might assume she was just in sweats,
Read more »