University of Utah Releases Results of Review of Gymnastics Program

.....The report, compiled from 45 interviews, finds that while Farden’s actions caused some student-athletes to feel “increased fear of failure” and pressure to retain athletics scholarships, he did not engage in “any severe, pervasive or egregious” acts of emotional, verbal or physical abuse or harassment as defined by the SafeSport Code and NCAA regulations. The report ultimately found that while Coach Farden’s behavior did not meet the definitions outlined above, there were student-athletes who had negative experiences while with the university’s gymnastics program…..

….. While the findings of the independent review by Husch Blackwell concluded that Coach Farden’s actions were not ‘severe, pervasive or egregious’ by the objective standards of the SafeSport or NCAA policies, we still consider the experiences reported by members of the program over recent years with great care, compassion and sensitivity. As you can read in the report, there were a handful of instances in which Coach Farden should have demonstrated greater compassion and self-control, and better professionalism…..

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Bethany`s Notes: I have not followed this case at all, but I will say this...who hasn`t lost it at one point or another on an athlete or said something they should not have. I don`t excuse the behavior at all, yet coaches are human too. Coaches want to push their athletes to be their best and sometimes they do make mistakes...they key here is whether coaches can be honest about their mistakes, address them with their team/individual, and do better next time.