Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold allegedly “maliciously targeted,” groomed and sexually abused a younger, intellectually disabled teammate.
A civil lawsuit filed on Friday in Colorado claims Griswold abused teammate Parker Egbert. The 19-year-old has suffered from developmental delay and intellectual disability since birth. Given his condition, Egbert is “significantly more vulnerable to abuse.”
“This case is a horrific tragedy, where a young man who defied all odds to become a world-class Paralympic swimmer had his life utterly shattered by rape and abuse when he was paired with a team member who was a violent sexual predator,” the lawsuit reads.
Swimmer Robert Griswold is accused for grooming and abusing a developmentally disabled swimmer.Getty ImagesThe abuse allegedly took place during the Tokyo Paralympic Games and at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center located in Colorado Springs.
The suit claims Egbert has “suffered severe physical injuries, pain and suffering, and extreme mental and emotional distress,” and he is expected to deal with the ramifications for the rest of his life. It also lays blame on the USOPC and SafeSport – an independent non-profit organization committed to ending abuse and harassment against athletes – saying they failed to “warn, supervise and/or protect” Egbert.
Egbert, who was born with autism and cerebral palsy, currently has the mental capacity of a 5-year-old, per the suit. According to his mother, swimming was a form of “playtime, therapy time,” He won two gold medals at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and his camp claims Griswold made a concentrated effort to befriend him during the ParaOlympic trials of 2021.
Griswold ensured that Egbert was always “seated next to him on plane and bus rides and was given prolonged unsupervised access” to him since they shared a room in the Olympic Village. Egbert and Griswold became roommates at the OPTC in Dec. 2021, allowing the abuse to continue and intensify. The alleged rape abuse happened in the shower, leading to Egbert’s refusal to take showers.
The teen wrote a story titled “Spookley and the Hurricane,” in which a group of friends must defeat “Hurricane Robert,” which Egbert refers to as a monster. When his parents asked about the tale, he told them about the abuse.
Griswold was allowed to have unsupervised access to Egbert despite the USOPOC being alerted to potential abuse.Getty ImagesEgbert’s parents expressed concerns to the USOPC, but claim the organization initially declined to respond — they say due to Griswold’s success in the Paralympic swimming community.
“Griswold used his status in the Olympic and Paralympic Swimming community to carry out a systematic pattern of abuse, whereby he would seek out and groom vulnerable athletes, specifically minor and disabled Paralympic athletes living and training at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center located in Colorado,” the lawsuit says.
