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Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold has been accused of raping and sexually abusing a younger teammate.
A civil lawsuit filed Friday in Colorado, alleged that Griswold ‘maliciously targeted,’ groomed and sexually abused a younger, intellectually disabled teammate Parker Egbert.
Now-19-year-old Egbert, is a Paralympic swimmer, who was born with autism and has suffered from developmental delay and intellectual disability his entire life, which allegedly made him ‘significantly more vulnerable to abuse’.
He competed for the United States in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and was ‘being violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by his teammate, Defendant Robert Griswold,’ the lawsuit alleges.
The alleged instances of abuse are said to have taken place during the Tokyo Paralympic Games and at the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (OPTC) located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
‘This case is a horrific tragedy, where a young man who defied all odds to become a world-class Paralympic swimmer had his life utterly shattered by rape and abuse when he was paired with a team member who was a violent sexual predator,’ the lawsuit says.
Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold has been accused of raping and sexually abusing a younger teammate in a civil lawsuit filed Friday in Colorado
The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the US Center for SafeSport – Denver-based nonprofit created in 2017 to protect athletes from sexual assault and abuse – are also named as defendants in the suit.
The lawsuit also claims that Egbert has ‘suffered severe physical injuries, pain and suffering, and extreme mental and emotional distress, most of which is likely to endure for the rest of his life’ due to Griswold’s alleged acts and failures of USOPC and SafeSport in their duties.
It alleges that the USOPC and SafeSport failed to uphold their duties as they did not ‘warn, supervise and/or protect Plaintiff.’
‘The allegations brought forth by the complaint filed today are extremely concerning and we take them very seriously,’ said Jon Mason, a USOPC spokesman.
‘We’ve made the decision to place two staff members on administrative leave and have also stopped the work of several contractors with U.S. Paralympics Swimming. We’re also continuing our investigation of the allegations to help us determine the facts, and we are committed to taking appropriate action.’
Griswold, who was born with cerebral palsy, won two gold medals at Tokyo 2020. He was Egbert’s teammate and traveled with him to the event in Japan, which took place in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the lawsuit, at the Paralympic trials in June 2021, Griswold ‘made a concerted effort to “befriend” [Egbert], constantly referring to [Egbert] as his “little buddy.”‘
During the Games, Griswold ensured that Egbert was always ‘seated next to him on plane and bus rides and was given prolonged unsupervised access’ to him since they shared a room in the Olympic Village, and ‘the grooming intensified,’ the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges that Griswold was assigned to be Egbert’s supervisor during the competition, rather than a certified adult supervisor.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Griswold for comment.
Griswold (center), who was born with cerebral palsy, won two gold medals at Tokyo 2020
‘Remarkably, Defendant USOPC and Defendant U.S. Center for SafeSport allowed Griswold to supervise and share a bedroom with Plaintiff without any oversight, despite the fact that USOPC and SafeSport had received reports that Griswold was sexually assaulting other teammates,’ the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges that the USOPC observed the behavior but allowed it to continue.
Another unidentified athlete witnessed the abuse, according to the lawsuit, and became so angry in one instance that he punched the wall of the room the trio were staying in.
The lawsuit alleges that Egbert was repeatedly assaulted and raped throughout the competition in 2021, so much so that he required surgery for the damage caused by Griswold.
Additionally, Griswold told Egbert that he ‘would get in trouble’ and ‘the police would come’ if he ever told anyone about the alleged assaults.
Griswold of United States competes in Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM8 qualification during Day Six of the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in June
‘Remarkably, Defendant USOPC and Defendant U.S. Center for SafeSport allowed Griswold to supervise and share a bedroom with Plaintiff without any oversight, despite the fact that USOPC and SafeSport had received reports that Griswold was sexually assaulting other teammates,’ the lawsuit states.
In December 2021, Egbert went on to win three gold medals at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championship and as a result was invited to live and train at the OPTC in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
However, the abuse was allowed to continue and intensify at the OPTC as Egbert once again became roommates with Griswold.
The lawsuit says tats Egbert ‘refused to take showers which was where Griswold would rape and sexually abuse.’
It adds that he would use writing stories as a mean to escape. One particular story, titled ‘Spookley and the Hurricane,’ was about a group of friends who were ‘brave’ in defeating ‘a powerful hurricane called Hurricane Robert,’ which Egbert referred to as a ‘monster.’
When his parents pressed him about the story, Egbert revealed Griswold’s abuse to them.
They reportedly expressed their concerns to the USOPC but it ‘declined to respond to the issue,’ the lawsuit alleges.
Due to the ‘acts and omissions’ of Griswold, USOPC and SafeSport, Egbert has been forced to ‘make the difficult decision to leave behind his lifelong dream’, the lawsuit adds.
Griswold (center) won Gold in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM8 Final at the the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships
It also claims that ‘Griswold used his status in the Olympic and Paralympic Swimming community to carry out a systematic pattern of abuse, whereby he would seek out and groom vulnerable athletes, specifically minor and disabled Paralympic athletes living and training at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center located in Colorado.’
It continues by alleging that USOPC and SafeSport had knowledge of ‘credible allegations’ of abuse against Griswold, the lawsuit says, ‘yet conspired to cover-up such allegations’ because of his success as a Paralympic swimmer.
‘Parker Egbert filed a lawsuit today in Colorado federal court against Robert Griswold, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and U.S. Center for SafeSport. The action sets forth serious allegations of sexual abuse by Mr. Griswold and asserts that the committees were responsible and complicit in allowing these heinous acts to occur,’ Frank Salzano, of Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson, and Elizabeth Kramer of Erickson Kramer Osborne, said in a statement.
‘The facts and circumstances are laid out in detail in the court filing and for that reason the Egbert family will not be making any statements regarding the matter at this time. As you can imagine, this ordeal has been extraordinarily difficult for the Egbert family, as well as the other victims and families that have been impacted, so we ask that their privacy be respected.’
As part of the lawsuit Egbert and his family are seeking a trial for damages caused by Griswold’s alleged continued assaults of Egbert, and the USOPC for allegedly covering up the conduct of the assailant.
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