RE: The Letter...

Former Member — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:09:46 GMT

sounds like either blackmail or extortion against USAS

RE: The Letter...

knelson — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:39:59 GMT

After USA Swimming fired Mark Schubert as the National Team Director in November of 2010, Schubert started cooperating and shared information with the attorneys suing USA Swimming in the numerous sexual abuse trials that are scheduled in 2011. Schubert, through a private investigator that he hired, also obtained INDISPUTABLE PROOF that showed Hutchison appearing to be cozy and intimate with one of the FAST post grad female athletes. Well, if this is true it would seem that Mark Schubert is the one with an axe to grind... What a mess. Hopefully we get the real story eventually.

RE: The Letter...

Former Member — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:55:52 GMT

Who would have access to over 10k emails of coaches, parents, and swimmers? These aren't readily available to just anyone. But maybe they are just saying that many were sent out so to make it look like it's coming from within USA swimming. And exactly how was Sean vilified by the press? The WP reported on the investigation of the rumor, but they also stated there were no findings of inappropriate action. Where's the libel?

RE: The Letter...

swimshark — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:52:06 GMT

RE: The Letter...

Paul Smith — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:40:35 GMT

It was forwarded to me by a couple of people.... Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:37:16 -0800 From: usswim_scandal@yahoo.com Subject: USA Swimming Corruption To: usswim_scandal@yahoo.com Dear USA Swimming Members & Swimming Enthusiasts, This email is being distributed to over 10,000 addresses of coaches, parents, swimmers and team representatives. Please feel free to forward it along to as many people as you'd like including your team members, coaches and other parents. The only way to fight the corruption and mismanagement that is plaguing our sport is to educate and bring this to light amongst the general membership. On Monday, February 14, 2011, USA Swimming issued a press release to the national media claiming that a full investigation by an independent private investigator found no evidence thatSean Hutchison, the USA Swimming Olympic Training Center Coach at FullertonAquatic Sports Team (FAST), had an inappropriate relationship with an athlete. Contrary to USA Swimming’s statement, we have strong reason to believe this investigation was inaccurate and it was nothing more than a deceptive cover-up by the executives and board members of USA Swimming. In fact, two high ranking employees of USA Swimming have characterized the investigation as "a lame and half hearted effort". The true facts as we understand them are as follows… After USA Swimming fired Mark Schubert as the National Team Director in November of 2010, Schubert started cooperating and shared information with the attorneys suing USA Swimming in the numerous sexual abuse trials that are scheduled in 2011. Schubert, through a private investigator that he hired, also obtained INDISPUTABLE PROOF that showed Hutchison appearing to be cozy and intimate with one of the FAST post grad female athletes. Schubert demanded a 5 million dollar settlement from USA Swimming and presented them with copies of the incriminating evidence against Hutchison. In fear of the potential damage that Schubert was in the position to cause, USA Swimming settled with Schubert for 2.5 million dollars on the condition that he not cooperate with the attorneys opposing USA Swimming and he keepsquiet about the Hutchison issue. When the Hutchison scandal broke in the Washington Post, Hutchison denied the relationship to USA Swimming and the leaders of the FAST. In reality,there are actually two female athletes involved because one broke the jaw of the other in a fight over Hutchison. When is this going to end? USA Swimming paid over 15 million dollars of our membership and insurance fees for legal expenses to defend sexual abuse lawsuits in 2010. Within the next twomonths, we expect three new lawsuits to be filed against USA Swimming. With the trials of several previously filed lawsuits looming this year, it would be safe to assume that legal fees figure to more than double in 2011,surpassing the 30 million dollar mark. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any motivation or effort from the USA Swimming Executive Director, Chuck Wielgus, or the USA Swimming legal counsel to settle these lawsuits bring them to closure. Wielgus will happy to take his $750,000.00 per year salary and leave the mess he caused for someone else to clean-up when he retires. If you were the USA Swimming legal counsel and you’re making 15-30 million a year off of swimming membership fees and insurance, would you be in a hurry to settle? Furthermore, what gives Wielgus and the legal counsel the right to settle with Schubert for 2.5 million dollars. Wasn’t he fired “for cause”? The USA Swimming membership is owed an explanation for where the money is going and how it is spent! The next time your child or swimmer participates in a USA Swimming sponsored swim-a-thon or your club runs a USA Swimming sanctioned or approved swim meet and you volunteer for 12 hours over that weekend, remember that the funds raised from these events are going to the corruption mentioned in the previous paragraphs and throughout this communication. The television media is preparing new pieces against USA Swimming and the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) for making recommendations for known pedophile coaches for jobs withclubs in the United States and working in a consultant role at USA Swimming. Unfortunately, USA Swimming and ASCA are very similar in that they both have rubber stamp boards that don'tprovide oversight to their executive directors and employees. Through many years of careful design, both organizations are so insulated from their membership that they routinely manipulate, profit off of, and squander their membership's money without any accountability or transparency whatsoever. Through USA Swimming's own offshore (Barbados) captive insurance company, United States Sports Insurance Company, some USA Swimming board members and employees such as Wielgus and Pat Hogan are paid large bonuses and stipends sometimes amounting to six figures. You would think that being on a not-for-profit board would be a volunteer position! This explains why individuals often rotate on and off the USA Swimming and USSIC boards and ultimately why Wielgus and his staff have a free pass to do whatever they want without regard for the membership. We will cover the questionable practices of this insurance company, in detail, in a future article on the website that we are putting together. With the well documented history of lies and cover-ups from Wielgus, why should we as members trust the 2/14 statement to the media? It is obvious that USA Swimming was backed in a corner and lying and covering up the Hutchisonsituation, even if it is going to cost 2.5 million of membership money, is worth it to them. Wielgus and USA Swimming had a choice of doing the right thing and enforcing the new Child Protection Policy or doing the unthinkable by trying to cover-up the potential embarrassment of what really happened in the Hutchison ordeal for 2.5 million dollars. The Child Protection Policy that was adopted at the 2010 USAS Convention in Dallas is now nothing more than a waste of time and bad joke! Sincerely, A Splash of Truth

RE: The Letter...

orca1946 — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:20:26 GMT

Change a few words & this sounds too much like my Catholic church!:badday:

RE: The Letter...

orca1946 — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 05:37:49 GMT

NO name & they look at it?

RE: The Letter...

knelson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 04:43:34 GMT

Here's some background on the Sean Hutchison story: www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../26072.asp The whole thing is very strange. I have to agree with the letter that it looks like someone has an axe to grind.