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Famed U.S. figure skating coach banned for 'sexual misconduct'

By Nicholas Sakelaris

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Figure Skating and the U.S. Center for SafeSport have permanently banned coach Richard Callaghan after an investigation into accusations he engaged in sexual misconduct with two teenage boys, officials said.

Two men accused Callaghan in incidents they say date back to the mid-1970s.

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Craig Maurizi, now 56, said the inappropriate behavior started when he was 15 years old in 1976. He said Callaghan used his authority to coax him into a relationship. He first reported the abuse in 1999.

The other accuser, Adam Schmidt, 34, said Callaghan repeatedly abused him between 1999 and 2001 when he was a figure skating student. He's also suing U.S. Figure Skating and the Onyx Ice Arena in Detroit where Callaghan coached.

Callaghan, a famous mentor in the world of figure skating who coached Tara Lipinski to a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, has denied the accusations.

USFS said it imposed a lifetime ban in compliance with SafeSport policies and procedures.

"This should have been done in the '90s when USFS first knew," Schmidt's attorney John Manly told USA Today. "It's good news but small comfort to those Callaghan hurt."

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Maurizi filed a report with SafeSport last year that detailed abuse, and Callaghan was suspended in March 2018 pending an investigation. Callaghan countered with a lawsuit against SafeSport, which was ultimately dismissed.

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