Report: Suspended Olympic coach Maggie Haney still working with gymnasts
Maggie Haney — a former Olympic and national team coach who was suspended for verbally and emotionally abusing athletes — is reportedly still working with gymnasts during her suspension, according to the Orange County Register.
USA Gymnastics has reportedly received a number of complaints alleging Haney is still working with gymnasts while she’s serving her suspension. The organization reportedly has evidence of Haney violating the terms of her suspension — including pictures of Haney running with gymnasts at a gym in July and evidence that Haney has received payments for “tuition” on her Venmo account from MG Elite parents. MG Elite is the name of Haney’s team.
Maggie Haney suspended in April
In April, Haney was suspended for eight years after allegedly abusing gymnasts. One of Haney’s former players, Laurie Hernandez, who was part of the gold-medal-winning 2016 U.S. team, testified against Haney.
A dozen other gymnasts also spoke out against Haney, who was accused of telling gymnasts to remove boot casts and medical equipment to continue training, fat-shaming players and screaming at gymnasts as young as 10 years old.
Maggie Haney no longer affiliated with USA Gymnastics
While Haney’s actions would violate the terms of her suspension, Haney’s team, MG Elite, is no longer affiliated with USA Gymnastics. MG Elite’s membership expired in 2020 and was not extended. Because of that, Haney’s supporters argue Haney isn’t violating her suspension since her team has no affiliation with USA Gymnastics.
That could create issues down the road, however, as MG Elite athletes would not be able to compete in USA Gymnastics events. Gymnasts must be a part of USA Gymnastics to compete in sanctioned events. As part of her suspension, Haney cannot contact any athlete who is part of USA Gymnastics.
It’s not impossible for athletes to find a way to circumvent that rule — the could potentially leave MG Elite and signing with a USA Gymnastics club before competing — but it could prevent Haney from recruiting athletes who are concerned about Haney’s suspension.
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