McKeever abuse allegations warrant further discussion
It is hard being a college student in a competitive environment like UC Berkeley. A recent op-ed published by Daniella Ivanir in The Daily Californian explored the mental health crisis at Cal. Some students are trying to balance the struggles of college life while playing a D1 sport. As a college student, playing a sport at such a high level is a full-time job, and is both physically and mentally draining. Now imagine being subjected to nearly daily verbal and emotional abuse on top of that. That is, in a nutshell, what coach Teri McKeever’s swimmers allegedly had to deal with for years, according to an investigation by Southern California News Group, or SCNG.
Alleged details of the coach’s disturbing behavior have been documented and corroborated extensively and, if you can stomach it, I implore you to read the articles on this topic that have been published by Scott Reid of SCNG.
Some may argue that emotional abuse is the price to pay for competing at the Olympic level — that being tough on athletes is the only way to optimize their performance. Toughness is certainly a desirable trait in a coach, but there is clearly a line between being tough and being abusive, and the behaviors described in this case have unquestionably crossed that line.
If emotional abuse of this sort is leading to sleeplessness (among other things), then it cannot possibly be optimizing performance. Additionally, a 2013 article by Stirling and Kerr in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology on “the perceived effects of elite athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse in the coach-athlete relationship” concluded that there is insufficient empirical evidence to suggest that emotional abuse optimizes performance. It argued that from an ethical standpoint, these coaching practices should not be condoned or justified, as there is a “severe cost to the psychological well-being of the athlete.”
The purpose of this argument is not to explore the nitty-gritty details of McKeever’s actions, nor is it to engage in a nuanced debate about the optimal level of toughness in coaching. This story needs to be heard for two reasons.
First, it is my hope that this piece can spread awareness of what has been going on, as I suspect that many within the Cal community have not yet even heard about this. Teri McKeever is a world-famous coach who has spent three decades at Cal — surely, this scandal merits scrutiny.
Second, more attention should be drawn to the fact that, if the allegations are found to be true, McKeever will not be alone in having committed wrongdoing. Therefore, she should not be the only one held accountable. Multiple complaints were reportedly made by swimmers and parents to Jim Knowlton, director of athletics, and Jennifer Simon-O’Neill — executive senior associate athletics director, chief of staff and senior woman administrator. Their responses were characterized as indifferent and dismissive, according to the SCNG reports. Furthermore, the initial article detailing a litany of abuse allegations was published in the Orange County Register on May 24, and Cal had also reportedly been informed a week prior about those allegations. But it was not until after swimmers walked out on McKeever at a May 25 practice that she was placed on administrative leave.
In a recent statement, Cal acknowledged that the allegations against McKeever were “serious and deeply disturbing and, if proven to be true, would indicate there has been conduct the university would not tolerate.” Yet the response from the administration over the years seems to suggest otherwise. Complaints to administration about the coach’s conduct reportedly date back at least as far as 2014.
The way I see it, there are two possibilities if allegations are found to be true: Either Knowlton and Simon-O’Neill were oblivious to what was going on — in which case their involvement is insufficient and unworthy of their lucrative salaries; or they were aware of what was going on and failed to take meaningful action to stop it — in which case they have neglected to meet basic standards of human decency.
McKeever is currently on paid leave as a formal investigation is being conducted. However, I am certainly inclined to believe the accounts that have been corroborated by dozens. If the allegations are true, then my message to Knowlton and Simon-O’Neill is loud and clear. Allow me to borrow the alleged words of “one of the most accomplished swimming mentors in the United States, if not the world,” according to her Cal bio, Teri McKeever: “You’re worthless. You’re a piece of (expletive). You’re a waste of time.” And if you feel a shred of remorse for the role that you have played in all of this and are truly committed to the health and well-being of student-athletes, then the most meaningful contribution you can make at this point is to resign. The ball is in your court.
As a member of the Cal community, I ask everyone else to firstly please make sure to hold the administration accountable for all of its failures so that this never happens again, and secondly, to actively support the athletes who have come forward.
Julian Levine is a recent UC Berkeley graduate.