Figure skater alleges abuse by former partner

A champion American figure skater alleged Sunday that her former pairs skating partner, who died of suicide earlier this year, sexually abused her for two years. 

Bridget Namiotka made the accusation against John Coughlin in response to a now-deleted Facebook comment supporting the late skater.

{mosads}“I’m sorry but john hurt at least 10 people including me,” she wrote. “He sexually abused me for 2 years.”

“Someone that’s innocent doesn’t hang himself. Think about the victims when you’re speaking up for what he did to at least 10 girls,” she continued.

Tara Modlin, Coughlin’s agent, denied the accusation, which was first reported by USA Today.

“It seems that you want me to comment on an unstable persons Facebook comment — I don’t really understand your question,” she texted a USA Today reporter. “My suggestion is to call some of his other partners… ”

Namiotka, 29, skated with Coughlin, who was 33 at the time of his death, from 2004 to 2007, when she was between the ages of 14 and 17 and he was 18 to 21.

They won three medals in the Junior Grand Prix series and finished ninth in the senior level at the 2007 U.S. national championships.

Attorney John Manly, who represents more than 200 victims in the Larry Nassar gymnastics sexual abuse case, told USA Today Monday that he represents Namiotka and her family and confirmed that the Facebook posts were “definitely” written by her.

Manly said in a March 29 interview with USA TODAY Sports that he also represents two other women who were minors when Coughlin allegedly sexually abused them.

Coughlin died on Jan. 18, one day after he was given an interim suspension by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an independent nonprofit “committed to ending all forms of abuse in sport.”

On Jan. 7, Coughlin had told USA Today Sports that the allegations against him were “unfounded.” 

“While I wish I could speak freely about the unfounded allegations levied against me, the SafeSport rules prevent me from doing so since the case remains pending,” he wrote. “I note only that the SafeSport notice of allegation itself stated that an allegation in no way constitutes a finding by SafeSport or that there is any merit to the allegation.”

The organization denied that they stopped Couglin from speaking about the allegations.

SafeSport announced in February that Coughlin’s death effectively ended investigations into three reports of sexual misconduct against him that USA Today had reported.