Utah Gymnastics Coach Placed on Paid Leave After String of Concerning Reports
Today, Nov. 13, 2023, University of Utah gymnastics coach Tom Farden was placed on paid administrative leave for his conduct and actions, which the school deemed to be, "not related to student-athlete welfare.”
The decision came after a long investigative process into Farden’s coaching tendencies and conduct, stemming from complaints about verbal and emotional abuse within the Utah gymnastics program.
In September, the University of Utah released official results from an independent investigation conducted by the Husch Blackwell Law Firm concerning the “culture” of the Utah Gymnastic program.
The investigation interviewed 45 total individuals, including 12 student-athletes from the 2022-2023 team, seven former athletes, and a variety of other individuals pertinent to the program, including parents of student-athletes.
Specifically, the investigation found that “Coach Farden did not engage in any severe, pervasive or egregious acts of emotional or verbal abuse of student-athletes,” and “Coach Farden did not engage in any acts of physical abuse, emotional abuse or harassment as defined by SafeSport Code.”
However, there are several conflicting revelations discovered through the investigation, that do not bode well for the claim that Coach Farden's actions have had little effect on student-athlete welfare.
One section of the investigation detailed a derogatory comment made by Coach Farden against an athlete, where the coach said, "[the athlete would be a] nobody working at a gas station in her hometown.”
Another section of the investigation highlighted a scenario where the coach, “...more likely than not threw a stopwatch and a cellular telephone in frustration in the presence of student-athletes.”
Finally, the report discovered that multiple former student-athletes with the Gymnastics Team stated that their affiliation with Coach Farden “negatively impacted them personally”, and led to “perceptions that they were targeted for negative treatment by Coach Farden.”
These findings relating to negative team culture prolonged by Coach Farden’s action were once again felt on Oct. 20th, when Kara Eaker, a member of the 2022-2023 team announced her retirement from the program on Instagram in an extremely honest and vulnerable post.
In the letter, Eaker noted that she was a victim of “verbal and emotional abuse” while a part of the team. Moreover, Eaker disclosed that she suffers from, “severe anxiety and depression, anxiety-induced insomnia, [panic attacks], PTSD, and night terrors,” as a result of her time with Utah Gymnastics.
Eaker’s sentiments are not the first of their kind. Multiple former athletes from the program, including Kim Tessen, have disclosed significant personal problems stemming from negligence on behalf of a Utah Gymnastics staff, including what Eaker called "an overpowering coach”.
While no official comment was made by Utah about the retirement post from Eaker, the recent move to place Coach Farden on paid leave is a start.