This past April, Western Kentucky University announced that it had suspended its varsity men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs for 5 years with head coach Bruce Marchionda, associate head coach Brian Thomas, and head diving coach Chelsea Ale all being terminated. The announcement came in the wake of a Title IX investigation into allegations by multiple former swimmers that the team partook in hazing and that the coaching staff knew about it and did nothing to intervene.
Now, one of those former swimmers, Collin Craig, has filed a federal lawsuit against Western Kentucky University, Marchionda, WKU’s Athletic Director, Todd Stewart, as well as two associate athletic directors and 3 former teammates. Craig claims he was ‘physically, mentally and emotionally abused, suffered discrimination on the basis of his sex’ and that the abuse caused him to be ‘unable to enjoy his athletic scholarship.’
In terms of the school’s staff specifically, Craig’s suit alleges negligent hiring by the athletic department and Marchionda, as well as assault, battery, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress against his former squadmates.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of punitive and compensatory damages. The University commented to Bowling Green Daily News that it had not yet seen the lawsuit.
As a father of a WKU freshman swimmer last year I’m watching with great interest as this entire scenario unfolds. I think when all the dust settles many people will be greatly surprised at how frivolous most of these accusations really are. I’m seriously considering whether I have legal recourse against Mr. Craig , The University, and it’s athletic director. It has put untold stress upon my family. Because he has chosen to continue swimming at the collegiate level my swimmer has had to literally desert his entire band of close friends that he had acquired in his one year with the program . He is had to relearn a new training system with new and different coaches. He still… Read more »
This case is not over it was just filed. The suspension took place less than 6 months ago. The University made an illogical and unfair decision. Many innocent swimmers AND DIVERS were hurt. WKU and Colin Craig may have a legal obligation to compensate. That is factual. Colin began these false allegations for $$ and it should come as no surprise that he filed a law suit to get $$!
Wait, Colin said himself that the women’s team wasn’t involved? So why were they punished? Colin said he wasn’t going to originally sue, but when he found out he couldn’t get the money we wanted from the University, he decided to suddenly press charges for mental damage?! That doesn’t match up. If it were mental damage to begin with, why didn’t he bring that up first? But instead, he’s doing it now because he didn’t get money?! That’s very odd and sounds very sketchy. I have no idea why people are arguing if the WKU swim and dive team should pay for what they did or if they are didn’t do it. Why is that even still a topic? They… Read more »
I lived 20 feet away from Collin as a freshmen swimmer at WKU we did almost everything together, and had the greatest year of my life.
Freshmen year was the best experience of my life. I am happy that this is coming to trial because real evidence gets to be shown. Such as the fact that the women’s team was suspended, yet not a single woman was EVER interviewed for questioning and was told that we were not involved. Evidence will be shown showing that Colin had asked upperclassmen to buy him alcohol and they turned him down. Evidence will show how Colin claimed he was “forced” to do things, when there are many many witnesses that know for a fact that not only was he not forced, but he actually VOLUNTEERED!! So for everyone that thinks they know something about how the WKU swimmers were… Read more »
Colin does nit allege that one single member of the women’s team hurt or offended him in snyway, however the women’s program was suspended for the exact same amount of time. When the University has been asked Why the only response, is the culture of the team. The women’s team has no allegations against it, yet 30 athletes lost s place to swim and pursue their education? Colin Craig should have reported the incident to his coaches and his peers, but he did not. He admits to being at the party house 27 times in one semester, does that sound like someone that was being harassed? He went there repeatedly, drank, hung out with friends (many of the attendees were… Read more »
Just to be clear … There was no NCAA investigation and no NCAA sanctions against the wku men’s or women’s program. The Title IX investigation was conducted by an employee of the university who resign one week after the announcement that the program was suspended or more properly put TERMINATED!!!
Nobody in a hazing situiation can be FORCED to drink alcohol or take their clothes off or any of the other accusations. Stand up for yourself. When I was a freshman the upperclassmen told me I had to drink everclear. I wasn’t comfortable with it, so I told then NO. How groundbreaking. And you know what happened? I didn’t drink it. Wow. I still had a great career and great friends that I still have to this day. You are your own person. Nobody can MAKE you do anything (when it comes to hazing). What are they going to do, shoot you with that gun? If you don’t want to drink, then don’t. Unless they all held you down and… Read more »