Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller has not spoken to the media since SwimSwam broke the news last week that he was inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6. But according to the New York Times, he has spoken to former coaches and expressed remorse. Mark Schubert, who was Keller’s coach at USC, told the Times that he called his former swimmer after he was charged in U.S. District Court with three counts related to the Capital uprising. Keller had broken down in tears and apologized to Schubert, saying, “You’ve done so much for me, and I let you down,” according to the article.
For the last week, the swimming community has been trying to come to terms with Keller’s involvement in the uprising. How, people ask, could someone who represented his country at the highest level -at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games- participate in an effort to subvert the democratic process of certifying the election? And while Keller has not given any interviews, his conversation with Schubert gives us a glimpse into his thinking: “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he repeated several times.
Keller has had a difficult time adjusting to life outside of the pool. He told USA Swimming in an interview in June 2018, “Within a matter of a few years, I went from Olympic gold medalist to husband, homeowner, guy with a series of sales jobs – life insurance, software, medical devices, financial products – and father of three, and I had a really difficult time accepting who I was without swimming in my life,” he said. “Swimmer had been my identity for most of my life, and then I quickly transitioned to other roles and never gave myself time to get comfortable with them. I really struggled with things. I didn’t enjoy my work, and that unhappiness and lack of identity started creeping into my marriage.” After his divorce, he experienced deep depression and spent nearly a year living out of his car. “I was paying child support for my kids and couldn’t afford a place, so I lived in my car for almost a year. I had a Ford Fusion at the time, so at 6-foot-6, it was challenging to make the room to sleep. But I made it work.”
Keller told USA Swimming he working his way back up, after having hit the bottom. He was selling commercial real estate and had hired an attorney to file for the rights to see his children, whom he had not seen for years following a bitter custody battle.
Now, he risks 15½ years in prison if he is convicted of all three counts against him: violent entry, disorderly conduct and obstructing law enforcement.
Keller turned himself in to law enforcement late last week and was released, without bail, with restrictions on his movements.
wpDiscuz
Welp. Big L sometimes you just need to ask for help.
Big L RIP
That is one of the most dangerous mindsets that one can have with someone who struggles with mental illness (and it is fairly obvious to most that know Klete’s full story that he does), just waiting for them to ask for help. I am NOT excusing anything that he did, he broke the law and deserves to face the consequences for it.
That said, if you think that someone who is struggling with their mental health needs to reach out for help first to deserve help then you are part of the problem.
If I had waited to reach out for help for my own mental health problems I would be dead by now. I did some things… Read more »
Doesn’t change a thing. Actions speak louder than words. I guarantee this guy has “apologized” for his poor behavior hundreds of times before.
I don’t much about him other than his swimming and what we’ve heard these past few weeks, but I’m guessing there’s a lot more to this story if he was living out of his car for almost a year.
A lot of broke struggling people don’t become insurrectionist terrorists. I hope he gets all 15 and a half
I feel like I’m on your side but why ask for a longer sentence when we want to help people rehabilitate into normal life not crush them down even more?
rehabilitation is for murderous MS-13 — but not rowdies who ransacked the Capital!
Funny, how his target with the MS-13 frenzy — white suburban women —voted him out of office. “Radical” (“why won’t they use the word radical’?” Islamic terrorists took over the world. MS-13 took over the country. The immigrant caravan invasion toppled the country before the House elections. The 2020 election was stolen. My Pillows are great. And to think the Big Lie of the Presidency started with inauguration crowd size. Have a feeling the Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, and 3 percenters are a bit more of a threat than MS-13, pearl-clutcher.
Where to start with this diatribe. There have been more MS-13 arrested than all the other groups you mentioned combined and the seriousness of the crimes have to be factored in. Look up what the MS-13 Motto is.
I don’t want my Taxes paying for 3 meals a day for this guy. Make him go to Daytona Beach and do 10 days of community service by swimming a 10,000 fly – 100 yards off the beach each day for 10 days.
Democratic judges are kind and merciful — he’ll get 3 years probation!
what a crappy thing to say.
Viking- there was a time in this country where people forgave, but your comments show your inability to do such. I do not feel sorry for Klete, but I do for you and the other pathetic souls that have shown their true selves on this issue.
Our country would be so much better off if people on both sides of the isle could practice this.
Bravo!
The Spirit of the Gospel of love continues to live in the hearts of some!
Yeah, Jesus sure was mentioned a lot in those insurrection videos.
Forgiveness yes… but forgiveness with accountability. Otherwise, we might as well forgive priests who molest children. Sorry… forgiveness but also accountability.
Holy false equivalency
That’s what I’m saying. He most likely takes advantage of other people’s forgiveness and most likely has taken advantage of it at every juncture. If you want to forgive such a person be my guest, but if I choose not to, you don’t have to label me as pathetic. That right there says a whole lot more about you than anyone else.
Bit early to be forgiving- we havent seen justice done yet. This is a most serious offence in a democracy. It is no joke. ‘A time in this country where people forgave’ ? I have watched a thousand US movies- they are all about retribution, justice, an eye-for-an-eye- usually at the end of a barrell of a gun. The US has never been about ‘forgiveness’.
true. but dont y’all over there want that to change? serious question
He should have never gone to the Capitol in the first place. Klete, you made a severe misjudgment.
Not a fan of the cause, but I think there’s a difference in going to the capitol to peacefully protest and going to incite a riot. I don’t know if he had any premeditated plans or just got caught up in the moment, either way he’ll have to answer for his actions, but people should still be able to peacefully assemble for something they believe in.
Anyone inside the capitol buildings that day was not part of a “peaceful protest” they were rioters committing acts of domestic terrorism
I wonder how the Left-wing media would judge the event if it had been BLM participants?
What’s it like to have a baby brain?
My man, Joe Biden chastised the protestors all summer. These things are not the same.
He was on record condemning it and even said they should be prosecuted, bit it didn’t get a lot of coverage.
No, he waited until 3 months in to chastise the protestors:
https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/joe-biden-finally-breaks-silence-on-urban-violence-too-late-goodwin/
I don’t wanna argue with this case; I just want you to get your facts straight
Speaking of facts. How’s that herd immunity going? What’s that genius Scott Atlas up to? He deleted his Twitter account, so tough to tell, but it marked his first effort at public safety. Back in November he tweeted about COVID restrictions, “The only way this stops is if people rise up.” What an f’in loser. On the losing end of promoting insurrection.
Apparently herd immunity is tough to pinpoint. Even the great Dr. Fauci doesn’t understand it. The vaccine though is taking off being developed in record time and texas leading in numbers vaccinated.
How’s that fake PCR test going? Greatest hoax of all time. And the sheep like you perpetuate your own demise.
Hiswimcoach – your problem has been throughout this chaos, and continues to be, that you believe Trump and his ‘people’ off hand, and then go seeking sources to validate your beliefs. And, because of how the internet works these days, inevitably you find those sources.
Biden addressed the violence of the BLM protests on May 29, on May 31, on June 2, on July 28….
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/09/17/fact-check-joe-biden-has-condemned-violence-protests-all-summer/5706355002/
From Reuters (a pretty well respected source): However, after George Floyd’s death, Joe Biden repeatedly condemned violent protests. In a May 31 post on his blog shortly after George Floyd’s death, he wrote, “Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. It’s an utterly American response. But burning down communities and needless destruction is not. Violence that endangers lives is not.” ( here , here ).
May 31 is 6 days after Floyd’s death, hardly 3 months.
I love when people make this comparison – BLM vs Capitol Riots. Protesting police brutality and the government sponsored mafia that gets away with literal murder vs not accepting the results of one of the most democratic elections in history. Omegalul
There was John Earl Sullivan, who interestingly enough was an Olympic Bobsled hopeful at one point, filmed an Uber commercial, and later joined BLM. It’s not looking good for him either since he was on film trying to incite the rioters. That’s the only BLM participant that I’ve heard of so far. Anyone else?
But they didnt, did they?
Always the same, ‘how come little Johnny got away with it’?
BLM participants did not attack the capital.
Judge the crime, don’t deflect!!!!!
I still can’t understand where this “BLM got away with it” rallying cry came from. BLM protestors got arrested in droves.
Hell, they’re still getting arrested:
https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/12-arrested-after-highway-blocked-blm-painted-on-pavement-in-seattle-protest/
What was the punishment for the BLM protesters?
If this had been a BLM protest there would be thousands of dead black men and women on the floor of the capital. Of that there is no doubt. Simply look at the preparations done for BLM compared to this one and you will see that black protestors are not treated the same as white. These people fought with police, beat a police officer to death and only was killed at the hands of police.
It wouldn’t have been BLM participants lol
People should be able to peacefully assemble for something they believe in (no matter how profoundly stupid what they believe happens to be).
keyword there being “peacefully”. Storming a capitol building, planting bombs and participating in domestic terrorism is anything but peaceful.