Spearheaded by former swimmer Austin Fiascone, University of Utah head coach Greg Winslow was already under investigation by the University before today’s police report was filed, emails from the president confirm.
Winslow was suspended this morning after an 80-page police report was filed in Arizona alleging sexual abuse against a 15-year old girl when he was a coach there. Read more details about that filing here.
This was not the first questionable behavior by Winslow though, according to emails between the university and Mr. Fiascone. In correspondence dated from November of 2012, Fiascone’s father, Matthew Fiascone, discussed with University president David Pershing instances of Winslow using racial slurs against an African-American on the team, and taping him to a PVC pipe on Martin Luther King Day.
The younger Fiascone was before a panel from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO) at the University of Utah, who pledged an investigation into these matters. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a prominent national civil rights leader, and his Rainbow Coalition even became involved.
In the meantime, Fiascone received correspondence from other Utah swimmers that Winslow had discussed the case openly before the team at practice and was trying to get him removed from his position as head coach. One email from a swimmer included the plea that he “Please, stop playing [his] stupid game. If you really care about Utes then stop screwing up things.”
Fiascone also says that the team was made aware of a physical assault by Winslow upon an assistant coach while intoxicated at a Sectional meet in Mt. Hood, Oregon in the summer of 2011. Athletes who were on that trip reported that the assistant in question arrived at a meet wearing large sunglasses that were covering a black eye. Utah assistants who have since left the program discussed with Fiascone and other swimmers that the only punishment that they knew of directly for that incident was Winslow being sent to attend Alcoholics Anonymous.
Fiascone relates that alcoholism in his opinion was a recurring issue for Winslow. The team was informed that he was left home from a training trip in late 2011 after being caught consuming alcohol following the above incident.
The last few years have seen many swimmers leave the program, including one team captain. In December of 2010, while on a training trip at Arizona State, two swimmers were caught purchasing marijuana with their school-provided per diem, Fiascone says. Winslow was aware of this incident and failed to report it to school officials, despite being on a university-sponsored trip.
Fiascone said that several swimmers swimmers were asked repeatedly in November if they knew of any sexual misconducts regarding Winslow, though no specific details were ever brought up are hinted at.
The above incidents seem to point to a pattern of poor behavior by Winslow.
We have reached out to both the university and Winslow for comment, but have received no response from either.
He has been being totally abusive, at least verbally, to swimmers for years… some incidents in 08-09 that the university knew about. Glad to hear they were finally doing something about it…
I only see one source listed here. A. Fiascone. If such “poor behaviour” existed, as you allege, then why hasn’t the University taken any action prior to this Arizona incident? Any other sources?
Where was Mike Chasson in all this? He was the Head Coach at ASU and president of Sun Devil Aquatics. Ive heard from Arizona that stuff like this was going on down there.