USA Gymnas?us Stephen Penny. .Ir.

thene r130 to the level as a threat to children?

A Sorry, that's my alarm again.

So because my attorney is not objecting to
any of the form of your question, I am going to
go ahead and answer it.

I believe that I have the oxporienoe based
on my involvement in sport over the years and
based on my observations and the pooplo that
surround me that help me make good decisions
every day, that when things like this arise,
that I have the ability to make gOod judgments
about what the next best stops might be, booed
on the governing documenta that I have and the
way in which misconduct and abuse is described
and based on the experience I have had as CEO of
USA Gymnastics, to address these issues. And
the one of the moat fundamental elements of
launching an investigation is substantiating the
claim.

And the reason that's important in becauoe
that under the Amateur Sports Act, both the
athlete and the coach have rights of membership.

And one of the most important reasons that
you substantiate a claim is because the

potential for, if you will allow the expression,

 

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Doc vs. USA Gymnastic-S Stephen Penn)" .ler 12?] 9.12014

 

a witch hunt, baoomos very real. And so it's
possible that someone may make a claim like this
because they don't like someone or because they
heard a rumor or because they 
information through other third parties.

And so, fundamentally, when you have the
umbrella of the Amateur Sports Act and the
US Olympic Committee and youf ?w your
burden the burdon of proof kind of weighs on
your ability to move forward and think about
ousponsion or think about next steps, you have
to take that very ooriously, because the coach
is as much a mombar as the athlete.

So that's the best answer I can give you as
to my perception as CEO and my knowledge and
ability to address issues of this type.

What?s more important, a coach's ability to

coach or an athlete?s ability to participate in

the sport of gymnastics in a safe environment?
A The most important thing o?
MR. ATHANS: Object to the form of the
question.

THE WITNESS: I?m sorry.

MR. ATHANS: Now you may

Thank you.

.

 

 

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Doc vs. USA Gymnastics

IQObCItCk?arossi 04x23x201?

 

 

suggesting that there was member misconduct, sesual or
otherwise, we had a process used te review those ~m
review that information.

Q. Explain that policy to me as you know it?

A. . So the first thing was to evaluate whether or
not the information was about a member and from a
member.

And the second step was to determine ?a to make
and that it was

sure that it was a signed statement,

firsthand knowledge, not hearsay, and had to be

substantiated.
Q. How_would it have been substantiated?
A. By the person's written, signed statement saying

that they saw themselves, or in the case of a minor we
would accept a statement from a parent.

Q. At any point in time did you review complaints
that were made by other member coaches?

A. Sure.

Q. Did you ever investigate complaints that were made
by other member coaches?

A. Only to the extent that they were substantiated,
signed and not hearsay.

Q. So if you received a report from another member
coach regarding sexual misconduct of another member that

wasn't signed by the victim or the victim's parents, would

 

 

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Doe vs. USA Gymnastics Robert Colarossi 0403:2025

1 you investigate that complaint?

2 A. No.

3 Q. Why not?

4 a. Because it?s hearsay. end in the sport of

5 gymnastics, it?s vety competitive to gain and retain
6 students and/or athletes, and people might have all
7 kinds of reasons for saying things. And if they

8 couldn't substantiate it we wouldn't investigate it.

9 Q. What if that complaint was substantiated by a
10 restraining order or an affidavit?
11 A. onm a USA Gymnastics member?
12 Q. Yes. Or a victim.
13 A. I'm sorty?
14 Q. Yes. Q: a victim.
15 A. That is a member of USA Gymnastics?
16 Q. Yes.
17 A. If we receive something that was fxom a member

18 of USA Gymnastics, yes. mean, I have to understand
19 what the WW what the tone of the testraining order is.
20 So I guess my answer is, it would depend on the

21 nature of the restraining order.

22 Q. Did Kathy Kelly have ultimate authority to

23 determine whether or not these complaints rose to the
24 level of whether or not the complaint shouid be

25 investigated?

 

 

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