The U.S. Center for SafeSport has banned current Magnolia Aquatic Club coach Michael McCorvy as of April.
The Center for SafeSport is the new governing organization for coaching bans, superseding the USA Swimming banned list. Coaches banned by the U.S. Center for SafeSport typically do eventually appear on USA Swimming’s banned list as well, though McCorvy does not yet appear.
Per the Center for SafeSport, McCorvy is permanently ineligible as of April 11, 2018, though the site notes that his ban is subject to appeal and “not yet final.”
We haven’t found any news or reports of a recent arrest or charge brought against McCorvy, but SwimSwam has uncovered 1993 legal documents against McCorvy showing a charge in a sexual abuse case from 1992. The document shows that McCorvy was charged with sexual assault and criminal trespass in relation with a July 10, 1992 incident in which McCorvy allegedly entered a woman’s home in Texas and sexually assaulted her.
McCorvy eventually reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass while the state dropped the sexual assault charge. He was given one year of probation.
A law passed earlier this year established the Center for SafeSport as the exclusive authority in investigating and punishing allegations of sexual abuse in sport, and also gave the Center no statute of limitations on investigations and bans. That means the Center can reopen investigations (or start new investigations) into any complaint of abuse from any time in history. That would allow the Center to ban McCorvy for his 1992 incident. We reached out to the Center for more information as to whether his ban is related to the 1992 incident, but have not yet received a response.
Magnolia Aquatic Club was also the previous employer of Scott MacFarland, who is accused of starting a sexual relationship with a former swimmer in the 1980s, when she was only 17. MacFarland was exonerated by USA Swimming’s National Board of Review after an investigation in 2010, but the Center for SafeSport recently reopened that case. MacFarland resigned from his position at Magnolia and retired from coaching in late April, about a month after we reported about the reopened investigation.
Magnolia Aquatic Club says it took McCorvy off deck when the club was notified of his ban. Magnolia head coach Terry Jones said the case is still under appeal, but that to his knowledge, the ban is connected to something that occurred when McCorvy was a minor and before he was a coach. The club says it is waiting for a final decision from the Center for SafeSport. McCorvy is still listed as a coach on the team website.
i know i’m late on this but i was a swimmer of coach mike when i was a 10 & under and there was nothing and still nothing bad about him. he does not bully kids at all. i would know wouldnt i? i mean i was in the pool with my teammates every day. i would have known if he was bullying me or my teammates. he would never harm a child in any way. the only thing he wants is to create amazing athletes and help them towards an amazing future because that’s what he does. my best friend and her mother do not like him simply just because they prefer coach jones’ practices over coach mikes because… Read more »
There have been countless of complaints against Mccorvey, Coach Jones always managed to cover for for him, make us wonder how long coach Terry Jones knew about McCorveys history and why cover for him so much?
Magnolia’s Developmental groups have been a complete joke thanks to McCorvey. He spends more time yelling and bullying the kids, then teaching them the proper techniques, he has no problem stuffing a million kids into 4-5 lanes, making it impossible for the kids to swim properly. It was always about him, versus what was the right thing for the swimmers, and the club. Sadly while most swim clubs understand that the developmental groups are the foundation of a swim club, MAC doesn’t seem to understand that concept at all.
If that’s the case, then shouldn’t the solution be to either (A) have the head of the program dismiss him because he isn’t meeting the needs of the swimmers, or (B) move to a new swim program and swim for a coach that the dissatisfied swimmers and parents respect? While the comments on this thread undoubtedly don’t tell the whole story, the flavor one gets from reading them is that there are parents or swimmers dissatisfied with his current performance so they are reaching back into the distant past to dredge up something completely irrelevant to his current performance and they are using that to completely destroy his career.
Swimmming Fan,
You have given us some logical ideas.
But… in response to your suggestions…
A) The parents of the other group would NEVER allow Big Mike to coach their kids group.
B) Why should parents & their kids have to “run and hide” from the wrath for McCorvy?
As for telling the whole story, you’re right. The complete story is much worse. In ending, who cares about McCorvy’s career? We need to be caring about the kids. They’re the collateral damage in Big Mike’s career.
When I say “swim program”, I am referring to a another swim team. If there is extreme dissatisfaction within your team and with one or more individuals, and if the owner of the team or those that control the team decisions won’t take steps to address the sources of consternation, extract your kids from the situation by finding another team. That’s always within your control. I don’t know anything about the Magnolia program, but if it’s owned and controlled by one individual who won’t make a change to accommodate swimmers/customers, vote with your feet. Perhaps save yourself the aggravation and move on. If the team is owned or controlled by an individual, you don’t have any vested right guaranteeing you… Read more »
The team is owned by the school district. Where McCorvy has unchecked access to all its students. This is for real ?. What if Safe Sport got it right with McCorvy?
We believe Coach Jones knew about Mccorvey’s past all along. Why would a director of a club, continue to protect someone like McCorvey after receiving countless of complaints from different parents ? Makes no sense at all.
There have many, many complaint against McCovey, we have watched him bullied kids and parents alike, with every complaints Coach Terry Jones would just makes excuses after excuses, cover for him and brush things under the rugs. Simply sending the message that this man was more important than the swimmers. McCorvey was the reason our family left the club, and we will never return. Everyone who thinks he’s a good coach are in denial, they are part of the problem.
I know it’s frustrating. I agree that people either like him or dislike him, but I do not believe he needs to have his name spoken like this. If somebody has an issue they should have just asked him instead of taking it to the extreme.
Why would a person report a coach to Safe Sport? McCorvy must have been doing some real creepy stuff. I wonder what he could have done? McCorvy was sitting on the knowledge that he was being investigated (by Safe Sport) for months. He lied to everyone at Magnolia. I dare Swim Mom or Swim Dad to ask Big Mike when he first found out he was under investagation. Prepare to hear a lie. Ask Mike, how many times over the years, he’s been one-on-one with one of his swimmers, where it would be his word versus theirs. More lies. Just because he intimidated countless groups of 10 & under’s into submission, doesn’t make Mike a good coach. It’s a very… Read more »
Magnolia seems like a team with a lot of parents in denial. Two coaches on the banned list in less than two months and parents making excuses for them on this thread. Just Amazing.
Snarky- no denial here. If you knew the history maybe you’d get why parents are upset and support these men. Mike was 17 involved with a girl that cried rape when daddy found them. Scott’s incident was also many many years ago and again, not enough evidence to prove he was in the wrong. It’s just pathetic these men have worked with children all these years, parents and swimmers have never had problems or issues with them until now when someone decides to dig up their past. Maybe this type of investigation should be done before hiring instead of giving them the opportunity to coach for YEARS then ripping it away from them. Lives ruined. Just find a bored housewife… Read more »
Supporter- you clearly know nothing about the situations you are talking about..
I believe you should have an opinion- but why don’t you do some research before you start spouting out, a reality that isn’t true.
These men have manipulated you and many others, into believing they are harmless. That’s their goal.
My hope is that, your child/children, never have to deal with being abused, in anyway.
I would focus on them, not writing about things you know nothing about..
Big Brother – you know nothing about me or how I mother my children. How is it you know more than me about this? How do you know I wasn’t a victim of rape or abuse? You don’t. The fact that I was a victim makes me even more sensitive to that word and making false accusations. I’ve had more talks with my children about this subject than most parents would even consider. Just because your “reality” is different than mine doesn’t make you right. 3 sides to every story… his, hers, and the truth. Guess we will never know, will we.
So what false accusations are there?
You have no idea, what these two men have done..
The fact that you are so adamant about the fact that they are innocent.. is crazy!
YOU do not know what the truth is, I do suggest you do some research- and back victims instead of predators..
Just sayin..
@SUPPORTER, so you are are saying a 30 something man who takes in a 13 year old girl and groomed her to sleep with years later is perfectly ok ? How would you feel if that was your daughter ? You are absolutely right, these people should have never been hired, which leads me to ask, why did Terry’s jones hired these two coaches ? Did he not know ?
Swimwhatever – I have no idea how I would react if it was my daughter, only that I would get all the facts and make sure she being 100% truthful in her accusations. I would never want my daughter or the man involved to have their life ruined if it was a consenual relationship. I know lots of 13-17 year old girls right now and some not making good choices, who do we blame? Parents, boyfriend, society? I do know that both of these men have worked with students, athletes, and children for many years since their initial issues and neither have been accused of inappropriate behavior. If you asked parents and athletes how they felt about these two men,… Read more »
A 13 year old has to have a Guardian so who was it? She went to school so who signed the many forms , who,paid for her upkeep etc . Something is not right about the story or details ned to be filled out . It sounds an awful lot like teen swap market . ‘ One 13 year old girl free to good home’ .
Whatever. Keep believing that. I heard the same crap about Mitch Ivey. “Oh they’re big girls and they can make up their mind about sleeping with the coach.” If he was 17 how old was the girl? 12? 14? Slut shaming girls is a sad sad state of mind.
It’s incredibly sad that these people are making excuses for these coaches, I love the comment above basically stating that it doesn’t matter what Both McCorvey or McFarland have done because they were young. When do we start holding people accountable for their actions and not blame others for what they have done ? These parents are definitely in denial. .
Wrong. I would be on this witch hunt to get them banned for life also if they had in fact raped women or children or been inappropriate in any way. A boy and girl “fooling around” in high school at 17 years old is not something I think they need be “held accountable” for.
I didn’t read any comment here as making excuses for McCorvey. If it is true that 26 years ago, while a minor, McCorvey committed a criminal trespass which was subsequently adjudicated and now he is being banned by USA Swimming because he was indicted for sexual assault at the time of the trespass, but that charge was dismissed, I think there is cause for concern by many. That would mean he is being banned because he was guilty of a misdemeanor committed while a minor or because of an unproven sexual assault allegation while a minor, or both. If true, that’s just wrong. In a country founded upon principles of due process and the presumption of innocence I shudder to… Read more »
A girl from my distant past, a high school classmate of mine, had an obsessive interest in another classmate and friend of mine. Late one evening she invited him over to her house so they could “fool around”. Her parents were home, so they had to be sneaky. She invited him in through her unlocked and opened window. Soon later the girl’s father detected his daughter had a visitor. Hoping to avoid a confrontation with the father, my friend left quickly and out of that same window he had been invited in. Out of embarrassment and in fear of her father, the girl lied about what happened (that the visit was consensual) to avoid any trouble for herself. Naturally, the… Read more »
What could possibly go wrong with sneaking through a window to fool around with a high school girl? What could possibly go wrong with texting and driving? Poor decision making can impact lives.
Yes, it was a poor decision to make. But “TAK” we don’t need to denigrate this poor girl for making a mistake 26 years ago. Maybe she learned from her childhood mistakes and is a responsible trustworthy individual by now? Then again, Filing a false police report sounds a little less innocent than “I’ll be there in 5”.
Feb2017 .Georgia . Miss Fulton 14 invites Jordan Middleton 17 in house whilst parent asleep upstairs . Derrick Fulton comes down & shoots him dead . Some blah blah self defence story & no charges laid .
Miss Fulton goes on her merry way with no issue becoz she daddy’s girl & he the bad black boy . Bad decisions only count for some .
Thank you. That really added to the discussion. /sarc
You’re welcome .