Rick Curl’s Alleged Victim; USA Swimming Release Conflicting Statements Regarding Investigation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, July 26. WITHIN hours of news breaking that Curl-Burke Swim Club founder Rick Curl has been put under investigation by USA Swimming for alleged sexual relations with a teenage swimmer in the mid-1980s, the alleged victim and USA Swimming began fighting a public battle regarding the specifics of when and how the official National Board of Review process began.

The alleged victim Kelley Currin released the following statement attacking USA Swimming and the process.

“It is disappointing that USA Swimming has known about Rick Curl and his admission for several months now and has chosen to act only when the Washington Post reports the admission.

I faxed the settlement agreement and admission by Rick Curl to a USA Swimming investigator in April of this year. I also followed up and communicated via phone with USA Swimming’s Susan Woesnner, the so-called “Athlete Protection Officer”. I know now that Woesnner was giving me lip service by saying they were sympathetic but then going ahead and giving Rick Curl coaching credentials to the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. For USA Swimming to tell the media that they just learned of my complaint late last Friday afternoon” (July 20), is an outright lie. There was nothing sent to USA Swimming on July 20 that it did not already have in its possession. The only thing that changed is that the Washington Post got involved. Only then did they give the appearance that they were concerned about my complaint. The fact is that USA Swimming has known about Rick Curl for years.”

Shortly after Currin’s allegations against USA Swimming came out, the organization released the following statement to the media, including ABC7 in the area:

“Acting on information it had received about a possible incident involving an unidentified swimmer in the past, USA Swimming worked for months to identify Ms. Currin, and then to locate her. USA Swimming found Ms. Currin and raised this matter with her. She did not come to us.

USA Swimming’s third-party investigator first spoke with Ms. Currin in April. At that time, Ms. Currin sent the investigator the confidential Settlement Agreement she had signed with Mr. Curl. Because this agreement was described as “confidential,” USA Swimming advised Ms. Currin to speak with an attorney before the investigator sent the settlement agreement on to USA Swimming in order to protect herself from legal jeopardy. Ms. Currin’s first lawyer agreed with that approach, and the investigator did not forward the agreement.

On Wednesday, July 18, Ms. Currin advised USA Swimming that she had a new lawyer. On Friday morning, July 20, counsel for USA Swimming emailed the new lawyer and advised him that if, as Ms. Currin’s new counsel, he was comfortable with USA Swimming seeing a copy of the Settlement Agreement, we would ask the investigator to send it to us immediately. Friday afternoon, Mr. Allard attached the Settlement Agreement to an email sent directly to USA Swimming. The following Monday, USA Swimming initiated a National Board of Review proceeding against Mr. Curl based on information contained in the Settlement Agreement.”

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