REPORTS: USTA Fails to Punish a Tennis Coach for Sexually Abusing Students

The tennis world never seems to be completely free of peculiar stories. While the tennis fraternity is dazed by the lack of events due to the coronavirus there is still drama to fill the headlines.

The United States Tennis Association now gets involved in a new lawsuit after a former player claimed the association failed to punish a coach, who sexually abused him and other minors in the past several decades.

The culprit Normandie Burgos ran a highly praised tennis program at a Bay Area high school. The tennis coach accused of molesting and sexually abusing minors multiple times. However, according to the New York Times, there is no public record of the U.S.T.A. having taken any action against Burgos.

In May 2019, Burgos was sentenced to 255 years in prison for 60 counts of child molestation, after another abused player working secretly with police recorded him admitting to having sex with a minor. However, according to the victim, the U.S.T.A. should have taken action against Burgos as he was accused so many times before his sentencing.

The Times also suggests that according to the transcripts from the trial in 2010, a player revealed that Burgos had put a sleeping mask over his head and eyes, supposedly to help him relax, before sexually assaulting him.

“We acted in an appropriate manner” – Unites States Tennis Association

Earlier, Burgos was also fired by one school in 2006. However, the U.S.T.A. reportedly continued to give him travel grants and did not take any action against him. Many victims suggest that they even reported him to the U.S.T.A. but nothing was done.

“We’re not going to comment on specific litigation. But we are quite confident that we acted in the appropriate manner,” Chris Widmaier, a U.S.T.A. spokesman said.

The reports from the Times certainly suggest that the U.S.T.A. cannot police itself. We hope that the United States Olympic Committee, which protects athletes from abusers should look into the matter. The Committee should also find a solution which further protects the students from the abusers in the future.

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