John Coughlin, Former Figure Skater, Kills Self Following Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

John Coughlin, a 33-year-old former figure skater killed himself, a day after he was suspended from the sport over sexual abuse and misconduct allegations.

The US Center for SafeSport— an organization that investigates bullying, physical and sexual assault in sports— put Coughlin under restricted eligibility in December without revealing the nature of accusations against him. However, on Thursday, they elevated his limitations to an interim suspension.

SafeSport was opened in 2017 with the aim to end all forms of abuse in sport and has exclusive jurisdiction over allegations of sexual misconduct while also looking at other forms of abuse.

Under the suspension, Coughlin was not allowed to participate in any capacity with activities tied to US Figure Skating, the US Olympics Committee (USOC) and as any member of national governing bodies. His suspension meant he couldn’t attend the upcoming national figure skating championships in Detroit, next week. He would have been a very visible presence at the championships as a coach and TV commentator.

There were three complaints alleging sexual misconducted against Coughlin. The first report came from a person over 18 triggering the initial SafeSport action and the first disciplinary action against Coughlin. Following the first complaint, two additional complaints were also made against him. The other two reports involved minors at the time of the alleged sexual misconduct and went to SafeSport leading to Coughlin’s interim suspension, Thursday night reported USA Today.

Coughlin called the allegations “unfounded”, reported USA Today. He further said he would like to speak about it, but due to the SafeSport rules of pending cases, he is forbidden from doing so.

After his suspension Thursday, Coughlin was found dead at his father’s house in Kansas City on Friday. Kansas City police said officers were dispatched on Friday to Coughlin’s father’s house for a suicide. His sister wrote a statement on Facebook informing people that he had taken his life.

According to his coach Dalilah Sappenfield, Coughlin was distraught over the allegations and in a Facebook post, she wrote, “It was so very difficult for him and all those who loved him to see his name and reputation being dragged through the mud these past few weeks, without any due process. He felt alone, lost, and desperate that he no longer had it in him to fight.”

The International Skating Union said it was “shocked” and offered “kindest thoughts” to the skater’s family. Coughlin was chair of the ISU athletes commission and a member of the technical committee.

Meanwhile, Coughlin’s friends have been silencing online trolls which started cropping up after a popular YouTube channel, The Skating Lesson posted a screenshot of the notice that was given to Coughlin on Facebook. Speculation exploded in the comments section of the post with people calling him a “pervert coach” and comparing him to Larry Nassar—the serial abuser gymnastics doctor— even though there was no evidence of Coughlin’s wrong doing, other than the words “Allegation of misconduct”.

The 33-year-old was a two-time US pairs figure skating champion having won the title in 2011 with Caitlin Yankowskas and in 2012 with Caydee Denney. He participated in two world championships, finishing sixth in 2011 and eighth in 2012. He retired from competitive skating in 2015 but remained involved in the sport as a coach and a TV announcer.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.