A 16-month investigation made public Tuesday determined that child sexual abuse accusations against Ted Nash, a two-time Olympic medalist and nine-time Olympic coach for the United States who had mythic status in his sport over decades, were credible and that his main accuser had no motive to lie about the abuse.
The 154-page report by the law firm Shearman & Sterling, which U.S. Rowing, the sport’s governing body in the United States, asked to examine claims against Nash, found that Jennifer Fox, now 64, was believable when she said that Nash had sexually abused her more than 50 years ago. Fox claimed that he had groomed her for a sexual relationship and sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was 13 and he was her 40-year-old running coach.
The abuse ended in 1973, said Fox, whose 2018 film “The Tale” depicted her memories of the abuse but did not name Nash. He died at 88 in 2021.
Jan Nash, his widow, did not immediately respond to voice messages and texts seeking comment. Last year, she told The New York Times that she was shocked by the accusations and said that “it’s just not fair” for Fox to name Ted Nash now that he can’t defend himself.
The report specifically stated that the law firm was not tasked with finding evidence that met any legal standard of proof for the abuse. But after the firm interviewed approximately 47 witnesses who interacted with Nash or Fox, it said its inquiry corroborated many of her allegations against him.
“I’m thrilled because this is what I hoped for,” Fox said Tuesday. “This whole process has been really, really hard, and the result is like removing a lifelong festering tumor from your body.”
Fox’s claims shook the sport and, according to the report released Tuesday, led a former elite female rower to come forward to the law firm to describe a sexual advance by Nash when he coached her nearly two decades ago.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rowing rescinded the honors it awarded Nash.
A statement on U.S. Rowing’s website said: “While we understand that this outcome may be difficult for some members of our community, our commitment to a safe environment, free of abuse for the rowing community, is unwavering.”
The future of Nash’s Olympic medals remains uncertain. The International Olympic Committee did not respond to an email requesting clarification.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
