Rowers say Olympic mentor threatened, verbally abused them

OAKLAND, Calif.

As the Tokyo Video games strategy, US Rowing is awaiting the outcomes of a months-extended assessment commissioned by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee of the sport’s countrywide team applications, including the men’s team based in Oakland, where longtime coach Mike Teti is getting criticized by some rowers for what they connect with his intense and intimidating design.

Athletes supply substantially distinctive accounts of what rowing is like less than Teti’s management.

Members of the men’s 8 boat team stood united at the rear of Teti ahead of departing before this month for Hawaii to practice forward of the Olympics, established to restrict any opportunity distractions as they get ready to race in Japan, and some others said Teti’s coaching breeds winners.

But nine rowers who spoke to The Linked Push describing Teti’s intimidation — all but a person on problem of anonymity since they either want to continue in the sport or concern retaliation — said they have immediate information of Teti bodily threatening athletes or verbally attacking them if they challenged him in any way.

“He’ll change so wildly from the guy that you assume is really heading to have his uncle kill you if you don’t earn … to the male that’s crying and telling you that he enjoys you,” a person former Olympic rower mentioned. “That exists in the identical dude — and I imagine the two of them. There is a storm raging within that person that he has a tricky time managing.”

A former countrywide staff member reported he witnessed Teti threaten yet another rower two many years back outside the Oakland boathouse. “I have listened to Mike Teti tell athletes ‘If you consider a person more phase, I am going to punch you … I’m heading to kill you,‘” said the rower, who did not want his identify used due to the fact he might row yet again. The athlete who he said was threatened verified the account.

In reaction to thoughts from the AP, the 64-year-outdated Teti stated, “I consider that I have coached fairly, with the athletes’ effectively-getting in brain,” incorporating, “Any athlete who thinks they have been the subject of poor conduct or unfair treatment really should voice that issue in the ideal venue. US Rowing has reporting mechanisms and staff in put for that very objective, and has a zero tolerance plan for retaliation.”

Of the incident at the boathouse, he stated: “It was a disagreement over the best way for an athlete to attain his best potential. I expressed my emotions obviously, and firmly, and so did he. I termed him moments later on and we apologized to each individual other. … There had been no threats of violence.”

Just after achieving out to Teti, the AP gained far more than a dozen unsolicited affirmations from former rowers, fellow coaches and other colleagues expressing gratitude for Teti’s management and guidance.

The legislation business Arent Fox, which is conducting the rowing assessment, declined to supply a timeline for its work. The AP obtained a copy of a letter the agency despatched rowers in January saying it prepared “to evaluate no matter if elite athletes’ issues are able of staying heard in a fair and neutral way that does not add to a panic of retaliation.”

Some athletes have communicated their suggestions about the lifestyle beneath Teti straight to US Rowing CEO Amanda Kraus, who arrived aboard in November.

Kraus stated the evaluate “is not an investigation of any distinct coach at US Rowing. It is a significant-level evaluation of the lifestyle of our men’s and women’s instruction facilities in an effort and hard work to be certain that our athletes’ concerns are staying resolved and that fairness and transparency are constantly at the core of how we run.”

Teti was investigated by the watchdog group SafeSport in 2018 and also in 2016 on behalf of the University of California at Berkeley, where by he previously coached. The SafeSport probe was shut with no sanctions and Cal by no means disclosed its conclusions.

The athletes vital of Teti explained they acknowledge that some yelling and profanity arrives with competing for a hardnosed coach, but that Teti routinely can take it much too significantly, even above what the rowers take into consideration to be slight problems like misunderstanding journey schedules.

“Internationally, we routinely display up hamstrung by exterior issues,” explained an athlete recently at the instruction centre, including that rowers endure “systemic mind games” and “bullying.”

Teti, the only member of the Countrywide Rowing Corridor of Fame inducted as an athlete and coach, rowed in the U.S. 8 boat that won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and coached the men’s eight to gold at the 2004 Athens Games. Four yrs later on in Beijing, he guided the 8 boat to a bronze medal before starting a successful tenure at Cal, where he stayed for a 10 years. In advance of the Summer Games in 2012, he was identified as in to direct the eight in qualifying for London, wherever the boat finished fourth.

Previous rower Ben Holbrook is among those who appreciated Teti’s fashion and push.

“Everyone invited to his camp has previously been very successful in rowing in some way,” the 2004 Olympian claimed. “I have generally thought that Mike’s career is to determine who of the most elite athletes can perform collectively in the most tension-packed times to optimize the prospect to win gold.”

But among many others who talked to the AP, Teti regularly crosses the line.

“There is not anyone who he is not bashing. It’s generally been just insufferable amounts of verbal, psychological abuse,” 1 rower stated.

Two-time Olympic rower Greg Ruckman, who competed in the 2000 and 2004 Online games, has filed numerous lawsuits over the program of additional than a 10 years challenging the choice approach for the group, which he instructed the AP was an try to make it possible for athletes to escape Teti’s oversight by schooling somewhere else.

The 47-calendar year-previous Ruckman frequently broke into tears describing what he known as the guilt he feels all these years afterwards for disregarding Teti’s conduct so he could chase his Olympic rowing desire.

“I was 1 of the greater part of rowers who retained their head down though they ended up rowing, and that was for eight many years right up until 2005, and that was when I couldn’t keep on that way,” he said.

The athletes condemning Teti’s carry out expressed worries about his likely to spoil alternatives with doable businesses throughout or soon after their rowing professions, offered his broad-achieving connections with firms that offer flexible work opportunities permitting athletes to coach and nonetheless preserve complete-time perform.

Quite a few rowers continue being thankful many years later for Teti’s profession aid, but some said fears lingered that he may possibly rescind his support.

“It’s undoubtedly a lot easier to concentrate on the additional substantial situations these kinds of as threatening to hit an athlete, and the verbal abuse is terrible, the language is genuinely bad, but athletes are keen to put up with a lot, specified that they are on a path to success, supplied that they are at the very least provided the resources for them to then go perform,” one previous Olympic rower said.

A previous feminine coxswain at Cal told the AP that Teti was outraged when she approached him about remaining employed as a resident assistant in the college dorms, a placement that would address place and board and save her household $18,000 for each yr. Taking the job, having said that, also would signify lacking one particular follo
w each and every 7 days to be on phone.

The girl, who did not want to be discovered simply because she continue to is effective in the close-knit rowing local community, said Teti began “screaming at me for 20 minutes,” accusing her of undermining his authority and of staying egocentric to pursue an additional activity given rowing experienced been why she selected Berkeley in the to start with put.

“I didn’t have the suitable to skip observe,” she mentioned of his reaction, adding, “My hope is to empower athletes to not endure struggling.”

The rowers describe a coaching climate in which Teti verbally attacks athletes in front of teammates, publicly insults their relatives customers or thoughts their commitment to the crew. A different previous Olympian mentioned he stays scared of Teti because of the threats he designed.

“Mike Teti is really verbally abusive and manipulative. He utilizes dread, your finances, your place on the group and even physical intimidation in opposition to you,” a former nationwide team member claimed. “The psychological nicely-getting of his athletes is entirely disregarded by him.”

One ex-Olympian reported he hoped talking out might convey adjust to US Rowing.

“Future guys will need far better than this,” he mentioned. “This is just unacceptable.”