Out Paralympians accuse coach of bullying & say authorities disregard their concerns

Four members of the United States Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Paralympic Team, two of whom are out, have publicly accused their head coach of emotional and verbal abuse. They previously disclosed their allegations to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA), which announced this week their decision to retain the coach anyway.

Kaitlyn Eaton, Ali Ibáñez, Josie Aslakson, and Courtney Ryan then each made statements detailing their treatment from Lawrence “Trooper” Johnson when the NWBA initially decided to retain him as head coach for the 2022 Paralympics. More voices soon joined them. After the athletes decided to speak out via Instagram, Johnson issued his resignation as head coach last night.

Related: The United States should consider boycotting the 2022 Olympics in Beijing

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Eaton, who is an out lesbian, made an eye-opening post on December 8.

“Over the past 5 years, I have been emotionally and verbally abused by our head coach,” Eaton wrote alongside a promotional picture taken from the NWBA celebrating Johnson’s return as coach.

In addition to requiring a “weight loss competition” so his athletes would treat their bodies like “race cars,” Eaton said, “I have sat in video sessions with him where he showed our missed shots on repeat and then proceeded to call me uncoachable because I didn’t agree with that method of teaching. I have been called slow, out of shape, and lazy 2 weeks after recovering from COVID. I have been benched as a starter for speaking up for my team with the way we were treated. And, I didn’t play hardly at all in Tokyo because he just didn’t like me (was told that multiple times by multiple people on our staff).”

Further, Eaton revealed that the NWBA tried to cover up her allegations. “I have made multiple complaints to the @nwba and not a single one has been taken seriously,” she said. “In fact, I was even once told to ‘stop perpetuating a story that just isn’t true.’ The fact of the matter is, this organization is choosing to ignore their athletes and to turn a blind eye to any of the abuse that has occurred.”

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A post shared by Kaitlyn Eaton (@kaitlyn_eaton21)

Following Eaton’s post, several other players and former players made statement, starting with Aslakson, who said that “Today is truly a sad day for women in sports.”

“Have we not learned from previous mistakes– previous abuse reports left unanswered for too long? NWBA, I come to you as a proud Paralympian, longtime lover of the game, honest human being, and protector of women to come: please #BelieveWomen,” wrote Aslakson on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Josie Aslakson (@josiealaska)

Ryan, who is also an out lesbian, also shared the truth about her first time as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball team.

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“An athlete’s first Paralympic experience should be a time of excitement, awe and, at times nerves,” she said. “Representing your country on the international stage is the highest honor an athlete can have. Unfortunately this was not the case for me as a first time Paralympian in Tokyo.”

She made clear, “I am used to receiving constructive criticism from coaches,” but “the negativity and personal attacks directed towards me from the head coach affected my confidence and my game at a time that I needed to be at my best. The NWBA’s lack of acknowledgement of the complaints expressed by its most elite athletes has compounded our fear and frustration, culminating in the unimaginable re-selection of the same head coach.”

Ryan goes on to say that “I am asking for a response from the NWBA to address all of the dissatisfaction that has been expressed.”

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Her post included a graphic that read, “NWBA, WE NEED ANSWERS! #BelieveWomen #WeCoachToo.”

 

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A post shared by Courtney Ryan (@courtneyryan_55)

Former Paralympian Desi Miller also made a post on Instagram, featuring a four-minute video detailing her experience with Johnson and his “toxic environment.”

“Disabled women are one of the most unheard populations out there and enough is enough,” she said.

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A post shared by Desiree Miller