Kelton Graham, the former head coach of Club Wolverine, has released a statement after his arrest in Omaha, Nebraska last week on prostitution charges.
Graham, who was in town for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, was arrested and pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution. He was one of 11 people caught in a sting by local police.
Graham was terminated with Club Wolverine after his arrest.
The former head coach of Club Wolverine did not coach the program’s elite post-graduate squad affiliated with the University of Michigan, which is the program’s most visible component. He worked primarily with swimmers in high school and younger.
Graham’s full, unedited statement is below:
Now that the Olympic trials for swimming have ended, I wish to briefly address my recent disgraceful behavior in Omaha. First, I want to apologize to my wife, family, and friends. They know me and know that my wrongdoing does not represent my character—it was a grave and uncharacteristic misstep. I truly regret that they have been associated with my disgraceful behavior. I apologize to them and ask them to forgive me.
Next, I want to apologize to the swimmers that I was coaching in Omaha and all the swimmers that I was coaching. I know they realize that I am a better man than my conduct displayed. I know too that they are professionals and were able to persevere despite my absence. If I distracted them in any way, I apologize.
Finally, I want to apologize to Club Wolverine. CW is a first class organization that has nurtured the talents of some of the best swimmers in the nation and the world. I was privileged to serve there. While I believe their decision was sudden and draconian, I must respect and accept that decision given my wrongdoing. I apologize to that fine organization for any adverse impact it might suffer because of me. Such results would themselves be unfair—the fault here is all my own.
I have no more to say on this matter. I ask the press and the public to respect my privacy and that of my family as I seek to make reparations for my wrongdoing, learn from my mistake, and move on with my life for myself and my family.
Sincerely, Kelton Graham.
I coached with this man for several years. Brilliant coach, good man, good friend. Just wanted to say that.
Sudden and draconian? Debatable. Correct? Absolutely!
Good riddance. Get a better coach who will work with all swimmers not just the top preferred swimmers. An organization like CW should have first class coaches who are passionate about improving everyone’s skill level. The senior coach should be the best coach at the club.
Wherever you see a coach that produces fast swimmers, you will find a parent (of a kid who doesn’t work very hard) that makes a comment like this.
I’ve seen it at least a dozen times in 30 years in the sport.
You must be the same parent with the kid that goes to practice twice a week. As one of Kelton’s former swimmers, he paid attention to everyone.
I do not get why their are people on here actually defending prostitution. I do not care if it is her choice.
Let the process work through USA Swimming. I do think CW made the decision to quickly however after he plead guilty, firing him was the clubs only choice.
Typically their is pattern of behavior for people. I am going out on a limb here but I guessing him and his wife weren’t 100% ok and that this isn’t his first infidelity.
Having seen him at several meets he was always gregarious, shaking hands, quick to congratulate you if one of your swimmers beat his in a close race, and never once did I see him say anything… Read more »
they didn’t make the decision until after he pleaded guilty
His wife probably needs to get tested for STDs. Uggghhh. That’s gotta be a low.
For this former coach to deny that solicitation of prostitution is not indicative of a character flaw is to be in utter denial of his personal responsibility in the matter. Unlike the late comedian Flip Wilson, he cannot say “the devil made me do it.” He committed this offense (which he pleaded guilty to, so that’s a settled fact) on his own volition.
While it could well be that this really is the first occasion when he has commited this moral failure, to say it is not an innate part of his character is to completely miss the point. If he is, as others have commented, a man of faith, he will need to come to terms with the… Read more »
My first thought when I saw the headline was why did he bother with this its only going to remind everyone of the stupid thing that he did…
Not sure what Kelton is hoping to achieve with this statement. He doth protest too much, methinks. I suspect this was submitted in advance of some appeal protest under the poor advice of a lawyer or consultant.
He says he made “a” mistake. This statement invites the reader to wonder. If he thinks that many people, such as myself, are credulous enough to believe that it is just in Omaha — after his many, many swim-meet travel trips away from the family — that his only “grave and uncharacteristic misstep” occurred, he must be more foolish than he sounds.
Without getting into the ethics and legislation surrounding prostitution, what this story suggests for me is an argument for… Read more »
*appeal process