The U.S. Center for SafeSport has fired CEO Ju’Riese Colón in the wake of an investigation by U.S. Sen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) into the organization’s hiring of an investigator who subsequently was charged with rape.
The CEO, who was let go on Tuesday, assumed her role in 2019 to run the center created to combat sex abuse in Olympic sports. SafeSport became the target of criticism on several fronts, including delays in processing its caseload and what some of the accused called a lack of due process in the way its business was handled.
The tipping point came after former Allentown, Pa., vice squad officer Jason Krasley was hired by SafeSport in 2021, but fired in November 2023 when it was revealed he had been arrested for allegedly stealing money from a drug bust. Two weeks later, Krasley was arrested on charges involving rape, sex trafficking and other crimes. The Center went on to make changes in its hiring process.
The Center was founded eight years ago, when the Olympic movement was faced with abuse issues in several sports The most headlines were generated by the scandal at USA Gymnastics, where team doctor Larry Nassar eventually wound up in prison after being accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of female athletes under the guise of medical treatment.
Steve Silvey, an attorney who represents Athletes for Equity in Sport, commented about the SafeSport leadership change, “It gives little satisfaction to see the titular head of an organization fired as some sort of public sacrifice. Similar to firing a coach for a dysfunctional team’s performance. We have commented for many years that the entire SafeSport organization is an abject failure for all concerned: victims, the sporting community, the NGBs (National Governing Bodies) and the USOPC (U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.)
He added, “SafeSport is lost, it may be too late to fix it and it is probably irretrievable. However, if the organization is genuinely interested in getting on track with the intended mission and finding its way to a proper path, then it is a good start but a complete spring cleaning and total reset is required.
“The Board needs to be reset, and the rest of any dysfunctional existing leadership should follow out the door. Now is both the time and opportunity for a major correction. Otherwise — it just smacks of a coach being sacrificed as strategic posturing and the root problems remain unaddressed. It also does nothing to correct the lives damaged or even destroyed by the root dysfunction. I suppose we’ll see, but we’re not holding our breath either.”
The U.S. Equestrian Federation requires competing members 18 and older to complete SafeSport training on line, along with officials and show managers. USEF has a 24-page document outlining SafeSport policy on its website.
SafeSport board chairperson April Holmes will lead board members in a management committee while they search for a new CEO.