A former Germantown Academy swimmer is suing the prep school for allowing what he claims was physical and mental abuse inflicted on him during the tenure of well-known coach Dick Shoulberg.
The anonymous swimmer, now an adult, is suing his former school for tolerating abuse he says came from both other swimmers and the coaching staff, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The former swimmer, named in the suit as “John Doe,” was a distance swimmer who was invited to train at Germantown Academy when he was in the eighth grade, the Inquirer reports. He says Shoulberg pitted him against another swimmer, causing that swimmer to start physically and verbally abusing Doe and eventually getting arrested and pleading guilty, according to the report.
Doe maintains that Germantown Academy swimmers had a “freshman fight club” in which underclassmen were forced to beat on each other for the amusement of upperclassmen. Doe also alleges instances of verbal abuse against multiple athletes by Shoulberg, including calling female swimmers “fat, out of shape, sluts, and tramps.”
Doe also says he went to Shoulberg to alert the coach to the abuse Doe was getting from other swimmers, but says Shoulberg didn’t take action to rectify the situation, even ordering an assistant coach to “follow orders or be fired” when he demaded Shoulberg take action, according to the Inquirer report.
Doe’s lawyer says the former swimmer ended up quitting the team and is now suffering from depression. He is suing the Germantown Academy for allegedly covering up the abuse and allowing Shoulberg to remain in his position.
Shoulberg, a well-known distance coach who spent 46 years at Germantown, came under fire in 2013, being mysteriously removed from the pool deck but publicly maintaining his innocence of any wrongdoing. Shoulberg was eventually reinstated, but then retired from his post last year. He still coaches at the Plymouth Community Center and the Mermaid Lake Swim Club, according to the Inquirer.
Interesting article on concussion.inc : http://concussioninc.net/?p=10727
Teabag parties in the locker room? LOL. Apparently, if you are thinking about swimming in this program, or Shoulberg’s new program, bring lots oil. If you don’t have a speedo no worries, they are optional.
Why wait so long to file the lawsuit?
Not sure why the hostility toward the plaintiff if the report is accurate that a police report was filed and the aggressor plead guilty. If a coach representing the institution indeed put an 8th grade swimmer in a competitive situation with a much more physically mature swimmer and did not monitor that it was a respectful rather than confrontational and intimidating environment then that is really poor leadership that is a liability for the school. Many top swim clubs kick off a swimmer at the first sign of any locker room or social media bullying.
I swam for Dick Shoulberg for four years when there was significantly less scrutiny, awareness and litigation surrounding bullying. I saw no evidence Shoulberg tolerated or promoted this kind of alleged behavior. Rather, he was focused on discipline, hard work, and challenging every kid regardless of his or her ability – and for that I thank him, as I’ve taken the lessons forward and tried to instill the same in my children.
REPLY
I swam for Shoulberg for 5 years and pretty much lived at the pool between sessions. He was always tough and demanded a lot from his swimmers. He is also a fair and caring coach. I still try to visit him every year and continue to support him.
Who cares? You have nothing to add to this.
adding my personal experience does add to this
why then did he continue to train & attend school w the teammates & coaches he alleges such abuse from for the next 5+yrs?
Why did he continue to train & attend school there under the alleged continued abuse from coaches & teammates for the next 5+yrs?
If the alleged abuser in the freshman year and the coach who allegedly allowed the abuse were both gone by the accusers sophomore year, why would he need to leave?
I have no knowledge of the identities of either, but that seems to be a possibility.
Shoulberg was a tough coach and completely honest. He demanded honesty and accountability and there is no way he would have allowed this type of behavior had he known about it or suspected it.
Also, what kind of parents would put their kid in this harsh spotlight during their kids senior year in high school?