A figure skater says her partner John Coughlin has sexually abused her for years

The former figure skater Bridget Namiotka wrote a series of posts on Facebook last weekend, accusing her former skating partner, John Coughlin, of sexual abuse. Coughlin was killed in January, a day after the US Center for SafeSport suspended him after being reported for sexual misconduct, although none of his alleged victims had manifested themselves. publicly at that time.

Namiotka wrote more than four times on Facebook that Coughlin had assaulted her for two years. In 2004, Namiotka was 14 years old and Coughlin, 19, until 2007. Namiotka also stated that there were "at least 10" other victims:

I'm sorry but John hurt at least 10 people, including myself. He mistreated me sexually for 2 years. Innocent person does not hang himself. An innocent person does not hang himself. Think of the victims when you talk about what they did to at least 10 girls. Think of all the girls that he hurt. The grooming is coming. That happened and he hurt a lot of girls. Think about the victims.

SafeSport has suspended its investigation after the death of Coughin, who however revealed in March that she had discovered a "culture of grooming and abuse" in American figure skating. Namiotka's lawyer, John Manly, who said he represents two other skaters abused by Coughlin, told ESPN that his clients thought Coughlin's behavior "was known at high levels of American figure skating."