“A majority” of the Cal women’s swim team walked out of practice on Wednesday, according to Scott Reid of the OC (Orange County) Register. The walkout came the day after Reid’s bombshell report detailing decades of verbal and emotional abuse by head coach Teri McKeever, citing at least 19 current and former members of the program.
Reid says that four people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday that newly-hired Cal assistant coach Jesse Moore told swimmers who are still in Berkeley that there would be a team meeting on Wednesday morning. When they showed up, head coach Teri McKeever asked them if they were “ready to swim.”
According to the OC Register, when the student-athletes were told that there was going to be a meeting, McKeever said that she had already read a statement, but then read what one swimmer described as a “basic” statement. No further details about the contents of that statement were revealed. A statement released by the athletics department on Tuesday used policy to not react to any of the specific allegations or address reports that the administration was already made aware of the complaints outlined in the report.
At that point, a “majority” of the swimmers walked out of the practice, some in tears, three people told Reid and the OC Register. They said that Moore followed the swimmers to the parking lot and asked if they were upset.
Moore was hired as an assistant coach at Cal in mid-April, meaning he only has a few weeks on deck in Berkeley.
Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton, associate AD Gordon Bayne, and director of high performance and well-being Graig Chow, have scheduled a meeting for after Wednesday’s afternoon practice. The OC Register’s reporting did not mention the department’s number two and sports administrator Jennifer Simon-O’Neill as part of that meeting. McKeever is the godmother of Simon-O’Neill’s oldest child, and O’Neill has been accused of covering up concerns that were brought to her by student-athletes and their parents.
Final exams at Cal ended on May 13, meaning that not all members of the team are still on campus.
Is this the end of TM on any pool deck ever? I can’t see USA Swimming wanting her near
national level athletes even as an assistant. I also find it odd that there have been so few athletes coming to her defense at all. Did anyone actually thrive under her (I’m talking emotionally as well as physically)?
Durden must have the answers, no?
What about other colleges in the US where this thing is happening everyday
Hey. It’s California.
I remember when college Athletics was an extra curricular, fun and rewarding experience…?
Told ya.
It’s just shocking how long this went on, mind boggling actually. CAL has a great reputation (or at least I thought it did). This has to be happening at other campuses too (if it can happen at CAL it can happen anywhere, no? … sad all-around. I feel for these athletes, but man the AD turning a blind eye to the athletes’ concerns, wow.
In a similar case Bob Bowman yelled and screamed at Michael Phelps but Michael screamed right back🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is a terrible comparison on many fronts. Bob has said in interviews he regrets how he acted at times with Michael. Michael has also been very open about his struggles with mental health and made some terrible choices along the way.
Bob never had control over scholarship money or a conference or travel roster spot, and he never sold Michael on a living family atmosphere to get him to train at his program.
There’s also a different level of accountability you can hold someone to when they tell you that they want to be the best ever and do things no one has ever done before. Even with that Bob still went to far at times, but at… Read more »
Bowman has produced several high level athletes. If he’s cutting people from the program, they’re underperforming. Tends to happen with higher number rosters. No participant ribbons… sorry about it