Rick Curl Sentencing Set for Thursday (May 23rd)

by Ceci Christy 28

May 22nd, 2013 National, News

Tomorrow in Rockville, Maryland Rick Curl will be sentenced based on his plea of guilty of sexual abuse of a minor.  The victim, Kelley Currin, who is now an adult will attend the 1:30 PM sentencing hearing and make her victim statement to the court. 

After the sentence is issued, Ms. Currin will make a public statement at the courthouse, where she is expected condemn how USA Swimming and its representatives and coaches handled her situation when the abuse occurred and more recently when she came forward with the details of her abuse. 

We will provide the sentencing hearing details tomorrow afternoon.

In February, Curl pled guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. The case stems back to abuse of Currin when she was a member of his Curl-Burke Swim Club in the 1980’s and a budding national-level prospect. Documents have shown that Curl paid Currin’s family $150,000 at the time in exchange for her not pressing any charges in the matter or speaking publicly about it.

He is currently out of prison on $50,000 bond.

28
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

28 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Coach
11 years ago

Has anyone heard what the verdict was? I know that sentence was supposed to happen at 1:30.

Admin
Reply to  Coach
11 years ago

Coach – the sentencing proceeding began at 1:30. Lots has to happen before the actual sentence is given, and even then, things are pretty well contained (no cell phones) in the courtroom until it’s over.

Ceci Christy is in the courthouse right now, so the second she’s let out, we’ll have the verdict to share.

Swimmer4Life
Reply to  Braden Keith
11 years ago

Thanks for that update, Braden!

What???
11 years ago

Easyspeed,

You’re ignorance is the reason USA Swimming is making coaches take mandatory child-protection certification courses and background screenings.

That is all.

easyspeed
11 years ago

“13-year-olds don’t have the wisdom or experience to make decisions about things like sexual relations with adults.” This statement is factually inaccurate. Children develop a sense of morality as early as the age of three. Did you know know it was wrong to get involved intimately with adults when you were 13? And, yes, I was in a similar situation (advances from an adult), although at an even younger age. Fortunately I knew right from wrong.

In my first sentence I said Curl did something horrible and deserves to be punished.The Davies family did something bad as well, however: they knew a crime had been committed, that Curl (a sexual predator) would be continuing to work with minors, but… Read more »

Joel Lin
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

Incorrect: in the United States you are guilty until proven innocent. Your reputation is publicly destroyed by media coverage, which in this world is accepted as a scroll of facts. That is why Jessica Hardy and many others were just crushed before any due process and there is never a remedy for that after the salacious news is digested. The US has the worst judicial process in the world.

CoachGB
Reply to  Joel Lin
11 years ago

Not needed here and are you from another planet?

Seriously
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

EasySpeed, I’m not sure what kind of credentials you have-but your comments were some of the most factually inaccurate statements I have ever read. Honestly I don’t even know where to start with your random incoherent babbling. Here goes a try; First there is a difference between developing a sense of morality at the age of three (of which im not even sure that is relevant or accurate) and being able to get away from a sexual predator. Here is some real factual information “According to the work of a lot of developmental psychologists, for most normal teens there’s a shift in early adolescence (around 15 years old) in the way the child thinks (cogitative function). Before that, they can’t… Read more »

easyspeed
Reply to  Seriously
11 years ago

You lack the intellect and education to get in a serious debate with me (as evidenced by incorrect understanding of scientific findings such as developmental research). I’ll spare you any further embarrassment not responding beyond saying that “it takes two to Tango.” In other words, there was wrongdoing on both sides. I’m simply objecting to Currin blaming everyone else for everything.

Some of the attitudes expressed here explain why 15 year olds doing drive by shooting murders get off because of being “too young” to have any consequences for their actions. Can’t believe you people buy into some of the “pop science” nonsense in the media…. sad.

DL
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

In every civilized country in the world it is recognized that minors do not always make the best decisions, which is why in the US, Europe, and many other countries juveniles are treated differently under the law, and is also why having sex with a 13 year old is considered statutory rape. Saying otherwise means that you are going against widely accepted scientific data. Just because a child knows that something is wrong doesn’t mean he/she will not make a bad decision due to impulsiveness and lack of experience. Using your own experiences as evidence to the contrary does not prove this. Are you telling me that as a teenager you never did anything really stupid that could have turned… Read more »

aswimfan
Reply to  DL
11 years ago

In many countries, women as young as 13 yo are already married and have kids.

It’s just in the past few decades that western society decide 13 yo girls are considered children who don’t know anything.

Velvet Fog
11 years ago

At 13 you should know better? How about the adult should know better not to sleep with the 13 year old? Victim blaming is a major reason why many people who are raped keep quiet.

JO
11 years ago

I agree with Easyspeed. After all these years Currin ‘comes out’. She’s looking for money.

swmr1
Reply to  JO
11 years ago

This. If you aren’t old enough to have been aware of lax societal attitudes towards male coaches and rumors of trysts with their swimmers in the 70’s/80’s, you don’t know what you are talking about.

easyspeed
11 years ago

Curl clearly deserves to be punished for the horrible things he did. However, Currin and her family are at fault here as well. 1. At age 13 you know better than to have an affair with the swim coach. 2. The family was thinking of their own interests only and had no regard for the safety of other potential minors when they accepted a large sum of money in exchange for their silence. How many others were put at risk because of this selfishness? 3. Currin has the nerve to blame USA swimming for their inaction when it was her family and their attorneys who covered up the whole thing for personal financial gain. Currin seems to fault everyone else… Read more »

quickseventy
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

Currin should have pushed USA Swimming if she felt like they weren’t doing anything. Instead, she just speaks up when she chooses. And then blames USA Swimming for everything. News flash: you waited 30 years! And you blame THEM for taking their time? Curl deserves some time in prison, but Currin should stop playing the blame game.

boourns
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

just because you may not agree with the way the Currin family went about this does not make it okay for USA Swimming to look the other way on this matter. If it is in fact the case that USA Swimming has been aware of this for awhile, then it should be a black eye for them and hurt the credibility of the Safe Sport Program they are trying to push.

and I don’t think it is cynical to believe that USA Swimming has known about this for quite some time considering this was hardly a huge secret regarding Curl. USA Swimming sure didn’t have a problem letting him on the pool deck at Olympic Trials….

Quickseventy
Reply to  boourns
11 years ago

Was Curl at Olympic Trials?

boourns
Reply to  Quickseventy
11 years ago

yes. on deck. saw him on tv.

Admin
Reply to  boourns
11 years ago

He was. He received a credential as the “coach” of a former CUBU swimmer who was in college, but represented CUBU at the Trials. Only one athlete on his card, and he didn’t actually coach or have any significant contact with said swimmer.

Are you kidding me?
Reply to  easyspeed
11 years ago

Know why there’s such a thing as statutory rape? Because society widely agrees that 13-year-olds don’t have the wisdom or experience to make decisions about things like sexual relations with adults.
The family was probably ashamed, because it had gone on so long without their realizing it, and because they knew people like you would respond like this.
Remember how long ago her parents made this decision? Attitudes like yours were even more prevalent then, ossified into law enforcement and the legal system.
You are shaming Currin and her parents for speaking out, and shaming them again for not speaking out earlier. I think we call that a catch-22.

Swammer
Reply to  Are you kidding me?
11 years ago

I couldn’t agree more with your statement-not sure how anyone here can actually say that a 13 year old girl should know better (thats a seriously biased statement). SEVERAL usaswimming coaches and members knew about the scandal, that is why they are to blame as well-no one was looking out for Currin at the end of the day.

Swammer
11 years ago

NCAP has moved on from this scandal. In addition, Curl was not on deck the last 3 years and he was in Australia before that for awhile. But that being said, this was tough and continues to be tough for those who knew Curl. Curl was not like this. He messed up once but was well respected as a coach with strong values. He should not be forced to serve a long time in prison because some crazy parents let this slip by 30 years ago.

BaldingEagle
Reply to  Swammer
11 years ago

He didn’t just “mess up once.” He continued it for years. Many, MANY instances. While I agree that everyone can be defined by more than just their actions, some actions, especially when repeated and immoral and illegal, must be accounted for. His “strong values” include statutory rape and cover-up.

Reply to  Swammer
11 years ago

Nice to be able to say that Curl/NCAP has moved on from this….the whole program was based off of his reputation…changing the name, doesn’t change that…they weren’t starting form scratch after the name change and buidling up on their own! Exactly where do you think they money that each family paid was going to? Do you think none of it went to Curl? (He wasn’t just a figure head)They wrote his name on a check every time they paid their dues…..and he certainly wasn’t able to go to Australia and stay off the deck and ‘survive’ with his family doing nothing.

Also agree, he didn’t mess up once….it was over and over and over again….the only reason he stopped… Read more »

Swimmer4Life
Reply to  Steven
11 years ago

Actually the whole program is based off of the hard work of the coaches and the swimmers; Rick hasn’t coached in over 10 years. They aren’t still successful because of him.

Swammer
11 years ago

This is just sick, I can’t believe he is only going to be serving 10 years for this. Or that the team can just change their name and it is all good. Should have been some more severe punishments from governing bodies.

Coach
Reply to  Swammer
11 years ago

The maximum sentence is 15 years. Where does it say that he will serve 10 years?

I don’t think the team or them changing their name has anything to do with what his sentence is going to be. That is what the judge recommended.

About Ceci Christy

Ceci Christy is the mother of two teenage daughters and has held the proud title of swim mom for nine years. She volunteers extensively at her daughters' swim club in Atlanta. While being a mother is her most rewarding job, Ceci also serves as a pro bono child advocate in …

Read More »