NCAA Champion Abrahm DeVine Calls Out Stanford Swim and Dive Team For Treating Him Unfairly For His Sexuality

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Two-time NCAA Champion Abrahm DeVine publicly called out the Stanford swimming and diving team in an Instagram post for treating him unfairly as a gay man. DeVine publicly came out as gay in 2018 during his senior year at Stanford.

Now, he is saying he was treated poorly over the last four years by the Stanford swimming and diving team for being gay.

“Everyone says they support me, and yet, for the millionth time, I am the only one speaking up. To my coaches who sport the pride flag on their desk, to the athletes who liked my pride photo on Instagram, I need you to wake up to what’s happening around you. How can you say you support me and my equality? How can you not see how Stanford Swim has treated me and used me over the last 4 years?

“Am I invisible? Plain and simple: there are surface level reasons I was kicked off the Stanford swim team, but I can tell you with certainty it comes down to the fact that I’m gay. This is a pattern. Homophobia is systematic: intelligently and masterfully designed to keep me silent and to push me out.”

DeVine graduated in May and finished out his senior year as an NCAA champion, so it is unclear what he meant by saying he was “kicked off the Stanford swim team.” He is now training in San Diego with Team Elite and David Marsh.

Stanford swimming and diving has since issued a statement on DeVine’s post.

DeVine won two NCAA titles in the 400 IM in 2018 and 2019 and also represented the United States at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, as well as the 2018 Pan Pacs. He was tenth in the 200 IM at the 2017 Worlds and was eighth this past summer in 2019 in the same event.

He wrote a lengthy Instagram post which can be read in full below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @abrahmdevine

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22 Comments

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Jose Vassallo

4 years ago

Pobrecito!

Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

4 years ago

Stanford’s head diving coach is an openly gay man, so systemic homophobia seems hard to believe.

Justin Wright

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

This sounds like a version of the “We have a *insert non-white race* guy on our team. It’s impossible that any of us could be racist” argument.

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Peter Cook

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

His he a coach

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Kristine Murphy Grim

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

Peter Cook what?

Danny Wong

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt Stanford is one of the most liberal colleges in the US.

Andrea McHugh

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

Peter Cook English please??

Anonymous

4 years ago

Reply to Laura Profumo Kleinschmidt

Liberals can be homophobes, and bias is often felt by the receiver in subtle and powerful ways , and this can be incredibly damaging, maybe even more so than overt bias, because it is not perceived by the casual observer. Also, homophobia is not just limited to straight people, there is bias and homophobia in the gay community as well. Do not judge another person’s truth.

Jessica Moses Carver

4 years ago

Stop bringing sexuality into sports period…no one gives a crap what you are…other athletes aren’t running around telling everyone they are “straight.” Guy is looking for a pity party to me.

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Robert

4 years ago

Reply to Jessica Moses Carver

I beg to differ to those that say that sexuality in sports doesn’t matter. Although we don’t know the facts of this case, sexuality does matter. In a straight world, and especially in sports where many gay athletes feel like they can’t be who they really are, it DOES matter. Just like in the military, teams depend on each other, and when you can’t be who you really are, there is no equality.

Anonymous

4 years ago

Reply to Jessica Moses Carver

Aside from a single interview (from what I can recall) in which a single question addressed his sexuality, Abe has never, “Ran around telling everyone he is gay”. When it comes to mentioning homosexuality in swimming people love to throw around phrases like, “Who cares about what he does in the bedroom” “Don’t report this non-sense, we only want to hear about swimming” “What does ones sexuality have to do with ones career”. I have never seen that same energy come up in regards to reporting heterosexuality.

In addition, what makes you dispute the claim as a pity party? If a person is discriminated against for any reason, it should be taken seriously.

Keith

4 years ago

Reply to Jessica Moses Carver

You a bad person. Every swimmer counts.

David Hosler

4 years ago

Does the stopwatch time differently for Gay swimmers? I thought not

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Anonymous

4 years ago

Reply to David Hosler

Where did you read that a stopwatch was discriminating against him?

Tim Manley

4 years ago

I didn’t know swimming world magazine still existed. We need positive spotlight on sports, not on pot stirrers!

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Craig Lord

4 years ago

Reply to Tim Manley

Tim, we’re a news organisation not a PR organ for what you or anyone else considers to be a “positive spotlight” while calling a swimmer and situation you know nothing about a “pot stirrer”. Regardless of where right and wrong may rest in the matter at the heart of this article and follow-ups [https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/stanford-swimming-and-diving-issues-statement-on-abrahm-devine-comments/], “positive spotlight” also includes highlighting people and athlete welfare, practices good and bad. Thanks for your surface comment. I urge you to seek deeper understanding.

Todd

4 years ago

Shame on SW for posting this nonsense. He is a great swimmer but sure sounds like an indoctrinated snowflake. No mention of what actually happened.
And when I see nonsense words like microaggressions I just don’t take them seriously.

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Craig Lord

4 years ago

Reply to Todd

Shame on you for labelling anyone an ‘indoctrinated snowflake’ when you don’t even know them or the circumstances in play … ‘what happened’ is a legitimate question … one that SW has put to the swimmer.

Dan

4 years ago

Please continue your excellent reporting of swimming at all levels. Thank you.

Stew

4 years ago

Look, I think everyone can admit that homophobic micro-aggressions exist in sports, including swimming. Taking those to heart and allowing those to bother you just shows thin skin. Sports are hard, and people are cruel. Outright aggression should be reported to the proper authorities, not your coach.

But I think the kicker here that damages his argument is claiming he was”kicked-off” the Standard swimming team has no merit due to his recent graduation. Anyone who swam in college knows the difference between getting “kicked off” the college team vs. graduating and being on the club team, but the court of public appeal wouldn’t have the faintest clue to the difference. This is clear factual evidence that he likes to obfuscate the truth to meet the goal of currying favor with the court of public appeals. The NCAA isn’t investigating this because it doesn’t fall under Title IX.

If this was his M.O. for every little issue, I would have not re-invited him back. Managing everyone’s petty problems that they should be adult enough to manage on their own, regardless of race, creed, color or sexual orientation is just something most adults are not interested in.

Once he rectifies his misleading statements to the public, and provides proof for his claims then I am more willing to listen to his argument.

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