Fired Cal Women’s Swimming Coach Teri McKeever to Release Memoir
Former Cal women’s swimming coaching Teri McKeever is writing a memoir despite ongoing litigation over her dismissal from the university.
McKeever was dismissed by the school in early 2023 after dozens of accusations over decades surfaced from swimmers alleging psychological abuse and the creation of a hostile environment. The reports began in an Orange County Register report in 2022.
McKeever was placed on leave pending an investigation that led to her termination. She was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and athletes sued the university and the California Board of Regents for compensation over their failure to protect them from abuse.
McKeever’s response is to tell her side of the story in a book titled, “From Podiums to Pariah.” It will be co-written by Karen Crouse. McKeever had alleged gender bias in the investigation against her. The investigative reporting has unearthed mountains of evidence to the contrary, with 17 plaintiffs (it was originally 18) moving forward with the lawsuit against the school that was allowed to continue via appeals court.
McKeever, 64, was once hailed as a pioneer for female coaches. She was hired by Cal in 1993, winning five Pac-12 Championships and four NCAA titles. She served as an assistant for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, 2008 and 2020 and as the head coach of the U.S. women’s team in 2012, having developed a number of the program’s top talents through the years in Berkeley.
The reporting indicated the catastrophic cost to get there, with McKeever alleged to have bullied athletes into physical and mental health detriments to athletes. She was found by the school investigation to have discriminated on the basis of race and disability.
Crouse is no stranger to controversy, having been suspended for a conflict of interest by the New York Times for failure to disclose a book project with Michael Phelps. Crouse subsequently resigned from the newspaper.