Former University of Maryland, Baltimore County athletic director Brian Barrio is bringing a federal lawsuit agains the school alleging he was wrongly terminated in April as the scapegoat for ex-swim coach Chad Cradock‘s sexual misconduct.
In March, the U.S. Department of Justice found that UMBC violated Title IX by failing to address sexual abuse allegations relating to Cradock. The DOJ conducted an extensive investigation into allegations that Cradock sexually harassed male swimmers and discriminated against female swimmers dating back to 2015, and concluded that UMBC’s “failures allowed the former head coach to exploit his power over student-athletes, prey on student-athletes’ vulnerabilities and engage in egregious and ongoing abuse spanning many years.”
It only took Barrio a few months working at UMBC before he suspended Cradock, who died by suicide in 2021 after resigning as head coach in 2020. One former UMBC swimmer told The Baltimore Sun in April that Barrio made him feel safe reporting Cradock’s behavior in 2020, noting that he found Barrio’s recent departure “perplexing.”
“It feels like they’re just doing it to save face,” the former UMBC swimmer said. “I don’t know if they’re getting rid of the right administration. I think there were probably people who knew more and were more responsible.”
According to Barrio’s lawsuit, UMBC officials told him that Cradock was “an important and respected leader” on campus even after they covered up allegations against him.
“Had UMBC even been remotely truthful regarding Cradock and the allegations that had been made about him, Brian would not have even considered UMBC,” Barrio’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit filed Wednesday. “Brian was responsible for ‘blowing the whistle’ on Coach Cradock and bringing an end to the abuse he had forced on countless UMBC student athletes that were entrusted to his care and oversight. If not for the actions of Brian, the abuse and assaults would have continued unabated.”
As part of the DOJ’s $4.1 million settlement, former UMBC swimmers who were sexually assaulted can claim $180,000 while students who experienced sexual discrimination are eligible for $60,000. A group of six former swimmers chose to reject the settlement and are currently pursuing their claims in court.
“There is little Brian will be able to do to get his career back on track at all, let alone back to where he would have been without these actions by UMBC,” Barrio’s complaint said. “Scapegoated by UMBC and connected to the Cradock/UMBC debacle, Brian is unemployed, effectively unhirable, and his reputation, job prospects, and future opportunities have been forever impaired and tarnished.”
UMBC has faced multiple lawsuits regarding Cradock’s misconduct as head coach. In July 2021, an outside law firm found that he engaged in sexual harassment, and lawsuits were filed in both 2022 and 2023 by former swimmers alleging that the university was at fault for failing to take action on several reports of the abuse.
What a dumpster fire that place is. Why would anyone go there or work there? Why doesn’t the university cut their losses and settle the lawsuits, particularly with the athletes? The DOJ already ruled against UMBC in that case. What good does the publicity of a protracted lawsuit against the school do for them? And Barrio’s suit is just another lawsuit that will be out in the public for a long time. UMBC should settle both instead of paying more money to these lawyers to stall constantly.
“If not for the actions of Brian, the abuse and assaults would have continued unabated.” This is a lie. Maybe he was kind of helpful when athletes on the team made the report that finally got the school to take notice of the systemic abuse. But he wasn’t a whistleblower by any means.