Rick Butler sexual abuse allegations

Rick Butler is a prominent youth volleyball coach and the founder of Sports Performance Volleyball Club in Aurora, Illinois.[1][2] Butler has been accused of having had sexual relationships with underage female players in his club in the 1980s. Butler has denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged with a crime.[3]

Background

Rick Butler was the head coach of the Chicago Breeze in Major League Volleyball. He started the Sports Performance Volleyball Club in 1981.[4] The club has since won almost 100 national championships.[1]

Sexual abuse allegations

In 1995, Butler was accused of having had sexual relationships with three of his underage female players in the 1980s. The three accusers publicly came forward and detailed how Butler allegedly raped them when they were underage and he was their coach.[5] An investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services found "credible evidence" that the accusations were true.[6] Butler acknowledged having sexual relations with the three players, but alleges the relationships were consensual and only occurred after the players were 18 or older.[7][8] The DuPage County sheriff's office did not press charges because the statute of limitations had already expired.[9] Butler has never faced any criminal charges and has stated that these allegations are "an orchestrated campaign" to damage his reputation.[1]

2018 lawsuit

In March 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Butler and his wife by a mother of an athlete who trained at the Sports Performance Volleyball Club in 2012. The lawsuit alleges that the Butlers deceived parents and players into joining the club "based upon false information and material omissions" regarding the accusations of "sexual abuse of underage girls" by Rick Butler.[10][2]

Reactions

USA Volleyball

Butler was initially banned by a USA Volleyball ethics panel from coaching girls in August 1995, but the ban was partially lifted in 2000 and Butler returned to coaching.[6][10] Following a hearing by an ethics committee, Butler was banned for life by USA Volleyball in January 2018. Butler refused to participate in the hearing, calling it a "sham".[11]

Amateur Athletic Union

In July 2015, following an Outside the Lines report on the previous allegations against him, Butler stepped down from his role as Illinois district director of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and the AAU announced that it would conduct a review of its child-protection policies.[6][3] In June 2016, the AAU was sued by one of Butler's accusers for allowing him to coach an under-18 team in the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships.[3] In February 2018, Butler was "permanently disqualified" from participating in AAU events.[12]

Others

Nancy Reno, who played for Butler's club, said in 1999 that she believed Butler's initial three accusers because they had confided in her and other teammates at the time. Said Reno, "We were in denial about it because we were scared."[13]

On May 15, 2018, a hearing was held by the State Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention to hear the testimony of two former volleyball players who have accused Butler of sexual assault.[14]

In an April 18, 2018 letter, ESPN Wide World of Sports announced that Butler was prohibited from participating in events held at their sport complex, including the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships.[15]

References
  1. Seidel, Jon; O'Brien, Michael (November 24, 2017). "A Sun-Times Investigation: Net Pains". Chicago Sun-Times.
  2. Chuck, Elizabeth (March 1, 2018). "Top youth volleyball coach was accused of raping players in the 1980s, yet still trained kids, lawsuit charges". NBC News.
  3. Assael, Shaun (June 24, 2016). "AAU sued for allowing Rick Butler to coach in under-18 tournament". ESPN.
  4. Thompson, Jack (July 1, 1987). "This Coach Serves Up Some Winners". Chicago Tribune.
  5. Hanson, Cynthia (December 18, 2011). "Sex, Lies, and Volleyball". In O'Reilly, Jean (ed.). Women and Sports in the United States. Northeastern University Pres. pp. 246–260.
  6. Assael, Shaun (July 28, 2015). "Questions about volleyball coach's past prompt his removal amid review". ESPN.
  7. Almond, Elliot (October 19, 1995). "She Says She's Haunted by Coach's Misconduct : Volleyball: Julie Bremner took six years to come forward with her story of sexual abuse". Los Angeles Times.
  8. Leone, Hannah (February 9, 2018). "Aurora volleyball coach banned from another organization after sexual misconduct allegations". The Beacon News. Chicago Tribune.
  9. Laird, Rob (January 10, 2010). "Director of local volleyball club has controversial past". Daily Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  10. Hausermarch, Christine (March 2, 2018). "Top Volleyball Coach Raped Teenage Athletes, Lawsuit Alleges". The New York Times.
  11. Seidel, Jon; O'Brien, Michael (January 10, 2018). "USA Volleyball: West-suburban star coach Rick Butler banned 'forever'". Chicago Sun-Times.
  12. Seidel, Jon; O'Brien, Michael (February 10, 2018). "Amateur Athletic Union bans volleyball coach Rick Butler after abuse allegations". Chicago Sun-Times.
  13. DeSimone, Bonnie (February 19, 1999). "Olympian Is For League, Firmly Against Butler". Chicago Tribune.
  14. Hauser, Christine (May 15, 2018). "Athletes Who Say Volleyball Coach Abused Them Speak Out". The New York Times.
  15. Red, Christian (June 1, 2018). "Coach Rick Butler, already booted from USA Volleyball and AAU following sex abuse allegations, now banned from youth tournament at Disney". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
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