May 23, 2016
Penn State's women’s gymnastics associate head coach will resign on June 30 amid an investigation by the university’s athletic board over abuse allegations by current and former student-athletes.
The university's independent student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, said it obtained an email from associate head coach Rachelle Thompson’s personal account. In an email addressed to “friends, family and (the) team,” Thompson reportedly wrote that she decided to leave the coaching position because "it has become increasingly difficult for [her] to come to work each day with [her] normal passion.”
Thompson has held her position alongside her husband, Jeff Thompson, the team’s head coach, since 2010. Jeff Thompson will remain in his position, The Daily Collegian said.
News of Rachelle Thompson’s departure from the team follows allegations by former and current gymnasts that Rachelle Thompson's and Jeff Thompson's abusive actions led several student-athletes to experience emotional distress and, ultimately, quit.
The accusations included prying into gymnasts' personal lives, mocking their weight and appearance, forcing them to practice despite injuries and threatening to pull scholarships if demands weren’t met.
In the email, Rachelle Thompson reportedly said her leaving the team is “walking away from a sport and a program that has meant the world to me,” adding, "I arrived at the only realistic conclusion - it’s time for me to move on and chase my own personal dreams.”
Read more at The Daily Collegian.
