The Lawsuit
Explicit content warning
09/13/24 • 18 min
Before Paralympic swimmer Parker Egbert moved to Colorado Springs in January of 2022, the USOPC assured his parents that he'd be safe with roommate Robert Griswold. However, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the Egberts, the USOPC had already received complaints from at least six different athletes concerning Griswold and his misconduct. Parker allegedly suffered months of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Griswold, who had previously been suspended for six months by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Back in September of 2020, blind swimmer Anastasia Pagonis reported that Griswold grabbed her butt and sent her a sexually inappropriate text message when she was just 16 years old — but that's not actually why he was first suspended by SafeSport, at least according to the lawsuit. SafeSport allegedly found that Griswold's only misconduct with Pagonis was providing alcohol to a minor, which the lawsuit claims was the official reason for his six-month suspension in 2020.
Before Paralympic swimmer Parker Egbert moved to Colorado Springs in January of 2022, the USOPC assured his parents that he'd be safe with roommate Robert Griswold. However, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the Egberts, the USOPC had already received complaints from at least six different athletes concerning Griswold and his misconduct. Parker allegedly suffered months of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Griswold, who had previously been suspended for six months by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Back in September of 2020, blind swimmer Anastasia Pagonis reported that Griswold grabbed her butt and sent her a sexually inappropriate text message when she was just 16 years old — but that's not actually why he was first suspended by SafeSport, at least according to the lawsuit. SafeSport allegedly found that Griswold's only misconduct with Pagonis was providing alcohol to a minor, which the lawsuit claims was the official reason for his six-month suspension in 2020.
Previous Episode
The Investigation
It’s now been more than two years since Parker Egbert reported to authorities that he was sexually assaulted. The Tokyo Paralympic swimmer was diagnosed with injuries that matched his disturbing allegations against Robert Griswold, who has a history of predatory behavior. So why was Griswold never arrested by Colorado Springs police?
Back in November of 2023, lawyers for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee sounded the alarm when I published a redacted copy of the Colorado Springs police report. They accused Parker Egberts’ family and lawyers of leaking the document to me, demanding everyone involved release their personal communications with the press.
The only thing was, no leak had taken place. In reality, I got the police report via public records request from the Colorado Springs police themselves. The 70-page document shed light on how they handled their criminal investigation, why they decided not to pursue charges against Griswold, and what they may have missed along the way.
Silent Currents: Inside the Scandal That Rocked Paralympic Swimming - The Lawsuit
Transcript
“Oftentimes, what USOPC tries to do is overlay exactly what they do for Olympic sport on top of Paralympic sport, and that doesn’t work. And it’s denying our specific needs as individuals. They’re creating the opportunity for abuse when they do that.”
What is the narrative? The dominant narrative is, ‘We shall overcome.’ Shut the f*$% up. You don’t overcome oppression. You don’t overcome abuse like this. The only way you do that is transparency
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